Who are you?
by 4master
Summary: AU. Edward Elric is the top agent for a secret organisation who's assigned to protect Winry Rockbell;a brilliant doctor,who has developed a cure for a deadly virus. He believes the relationship to be purely professional,but can he keep it that way? EdWin, AU.
1. Chapter 1

**All right, this is an AU fic. It is set in a modern world, but the country of Artmesis does not exist, nor does alchemy. But automail does. That is all ! Enjoy!**

**Disclamer: I do not own FMA or FMAB or their characters. **

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**Chapter 1**

The man silently picked the lock.

Timing was a key, and he wanted to make sure that he did not slip up. He had less than a few minutes after entering the pawn shop, 10 if he was lucky. But he knew that he would be gone by 5. The lock proved easy to pick, only 4 tumblers, hardly a challenge for someone like him.

Just as he entered, an alarm tripped, notifying the local authorities of the break in. On any other day, they would be over here in 2 minutes, but not today. Not when there were two important events taking place in the country and when the force was severely set back to pay attention to a single break in.

The store was empty; he had made sure of it. The owner was in Miami, enjoying his yearly holiday. Removing the unnecessary thoughts from his mind, he hastened over to the display, where two mannequins were made to stand up for advertisement. As the shop was closed, the window was covered, so that made his job even easier. A gloved hand slipped silently in between the mannequins, and retrieved a small briefcase that was situated on the ground.

His mission completed, he turned on his heel and went on to exit the shop. Even though the police force was extremely low today, they would come here eventually. But the fact will remain that they will not notice any signs of break-ins, or any missing valuable objects. The briefcase was not even spared a glance before, and he was sure that it would be easily overlooked.

He silently locked the door again, to reduce the evidence of a break-in. His gloved hands ensured that absolutely no traces remained. He quickly sprinted over across the street and entered an overcrowded bar. The people hardly paid him any attention, not even the bar-keep. They were far too engrossed in viewing the 60 inch plasma screen which was installed specially for this day. The screen showed endless replays of Vilena's last match against Portugal. The finals were taking place today, and were still 2 hours till the event. The person looked around, and finally found a booth which would allow him a clear view of the street and of the shop. He placed his briefcase in front of him and double checked the contents. He had made sure earlier, but it never hurt to check once more. 3 minutes later, the sirens announced the arrival of the patrol cars. He took it as his cue and bustled out of the back door. He silently but quickly made his way through the maze of the side streets, a path which he had thoroughly memorized earlier. Finally reaching another main street, he quickly hailed a passing cab and got inside.

"Ecuador hotel." Was all that he said.

Inside the cab, he went over and over on his plans, which he had finalized to the last extent. He always had two separate plans, and a contingency plan. He never messed up. Never ever.

While in the cab, he shifted himself to ensure that he was easily seen by the driver from the rear view mirror. He glanced at himself. A short yet messy brown haired person whose hair never even passed his ears, along with cerulean orbs stared back at him. His beard was messy, with tufts of hair showing unhealthy hygiene. His nose was somewhat flat, showing signs of a previous injury on it.

As the cab approached the destination, he quickly passed over a thousand standard note, a quiet big tip, even before the cabbie could mutter a thank you. He never took the front entrance, always preferring the back door. No one even glanced at his persona, being the hotel that it was. It would serve as a moderate living quarters, yet not extravagant. The rooms were moderately priced, and attracted quite a bit of tourists and sports fans that had come to see the magnificent ecology of the country and the Football World cup finals.

Reaching his flat, he hung the 'Do Not Disturb' sign outside the door. He made sure to loop the security feed to show the corridors empty before his entrance, another security measure. Ensuring that he was completely alone, he finally opened the briefcase.

The dismantled parts of a Sako M75 I hunting rifle along with 10 .223 Remington cartridges stared back at him.

A smile creeped up on his face.

* * *

Carlos Figuera was a very greedy man.

Even thought he usually used to deny it vehemently on public, there was nothing more enjoyable that the sights of stacks of American Dollars piled in front of him. He sorely hated to let it go to waste, and would do anything to add it to his pile. That is why he stood for the elections of President of Vilena.

* * *

The person took his time in assembling the rifle. He caressed each part with care, before joining it to its appropriate counterpart. The scope was well polished yet the sight was a bit blurry. He even took care to replace it with one of his own custom lens, making sure to place the originals in a safe location. Finally he added two of the cartridges into the magazine. He knew that he would need only one, but he always liked to prepare for emergencies. He never had to divert form his main plan even once. The flawlessness of his plans used to baffle every kind of authorities.

Opening the window ever so slightly and he removed his view finder from the breast pocket of his coat. He skillfully adjusted it to the event which was taking place in front of his eyes. A crowd had gathered. A political rally was taking place, organized by Carlos Figuera, a potential candidate for the president ship of Vilena. The crowd was huge and there were specific raised platforms for the media, apparently for more coverage. The person himself was standing at the podium giving off an impressive speech. Little that the crowd knew that he used the same speech every time, only with minor changes. His actions used to be the same too. Apparently, he never used to search for something innovative.

_'I for one, I will not let fear deter me.' _The person mouthed.

"I for one, I will not let fear deter me." Carlos repeated.

The crowd went wild at his words. Carlos shifted into criticizing the western nations for exploiting their country. He removed a George Washington bill from his pocket and promptly shredded it, and tossed the remaining pieces into the crowd. The crowd was cheering him on uncontrollably, although the person knew that there were many paid junkies within the crowd, placed at strategic locations.

_'God isn't an American'_ he mouthed.

"God isn't an American." Carlos dutifully repeated.

Smirking, the person tore his view from the viewfinder and skillfully set up the rifle. Even though the event seemed within an arm's reach with the viewfinder, it was still 4 kms away. The person took off the safety, and waited for the perfect moment. Glancing at his watch, he started to count off 60 seconds. Meanwhile, he made the final arrangements to the rifle.

40 seconds remaining.

He squinted into the powerful scope, and singled out his target.

30 seconds.

He found his target and adjusted the scope.

20 seconds.

He arranged the milli-dots on his face.

10 seconds.

He controlled his breathing and took a deep breath.

5 seconds.

He began to count off the remaining seconds.

Carlos was still giving his speech. He was nearing the end of it though. He was grinning widely, as he had gotten his message across to the people.

Zero.

A fountain of blood appeared behind him, which was soon joined by the crumpled remains of what used to be Carlos Figuera's head.

The person smiled.

* * *

He wasted no more time; he quickly withdrew the rifle from its post, and started to disassemble it. He quickly removed the cartridges from the barrel and the magazine and put them back into their initial resting place. He doubted that the shopkeeper would notice one used bullet, but who was he to care? .233 bullets were cheap, and one did not matter. He would likely pass it off as a mistaken packaging. By the time the police would even reach the conclusion that this was the murder weapon, a year would have passed. He then quickly replaced the lens of the scope, putting his custom one back into his pocket. He never hurried, as he knew that haste made waste, but the nerves did not agree with him. No matter how much ever assassination jobs he carried out, he would always get the post job jitters. His inner self was urging him to hurry, but paying it no heed, he calmly looked around the room, looking for any forgotten materials. His gloves were still on, as it was second nature to him.

He exited the room, and took the stairs to exit. He had unlooped the security feed back before exiting, once again leaving no evidence. He made his way over to the back door, from where he sprinted the 5 blocks back to the pawn shop.

Again, he picked the lock to the back door to the pawn shop. This time, he was not worrying about his time period, as he figured that the cops had better things to do than visiting a pawn shop for a break in. Again. The alarm went off again as a bad habit, however like the previous time it was completely ignored. He made his way over to the display, where he silently placed the briefcase back. He really though that the owner would report anything when he came back, as there were two break-ins yet nothing stolen. Except a few diamonds that the police had probably removed while their previous visit. He made his way back to the door, as silently as he came. Seeing that there was nothing out of place, he repeated his earlier procedure. This time, instead of crossing the street, he vaulted the fence behind the building and made his way to another street, where he hailed another cab. Giving the address of another hotel, he plopped himself in the back. Police cars were scrambling widely on the streets, torn widely from security for the world cup and the crowd control situation that was taking place at the rally.

He unlocked the door of his other room in the other hotel with a different card. This room was furnished in a better way than the previous one. An open briefcase looked back at the person, looking expectant. He stripped immediately, and headed toward the shower. While on the way, he removed his wig, fake rubber skin and his colored contact lenses. He then spent the next hour in removing the dye from his golden colored locks which reached till his back. He had dyed his hair as an extra precaution. Then he moved onwards to the mirror where he shaved whatever hair that he had on his chin. 2 hours later, a clean shaved, clear faced, golden haired male who had golden colored orbs looked back at himself in the mirror. He was in his mid twenties, and was extremely handsome. Very few knew his real name, and the ones who did were his associates, his superiors or were languishing in their graves. In Vilena, he was here as Frank McCoy, an ecologist. An American citizen, who worked for FEMA. Shooting a glance at the wall clock, he decided to have a short nap before getting ready for his flight, which was scheduled for takeoff in 2 hours.

* * *

He slept soundly for an hour, and then got up to prepare for his escape. He wasn't worried in the least, but he still had to get out of the country successfully. He knew never to cry hello before he got out of the woods. Donning on a light blue shirt and tight jeans, he carefully packed his bag. He once again donned his gloves, and wiped everything down. He was sure that room service would take care of everything else.

He dutifully checked out, and tore up the number of the cell phone that the receptionist passed to him. He hailed another cab, the third one this day, and made his way over to the airport. He had disposed off the rubber mask and the wig earlier. He never brought any weapons, as they were only a hassle to be brought through the airport. As he cleared the customs, he saw that his flight was conveniently delayed by another hour. From the corner of his eye, he saw that a person who had short brown hair was taken by the officials. He chuckled. He wondered how many more such individuals would be detained because of his earlier actions.

Finally, he relaxed into his first class seat, enjoying the leg space provided. The pilot took his sweet time for takeoff. He had faced a multitude of security checks earlier, which had raised the temperatures of a few of the passengers. The hostess- a pretty blond came bustling over to him.

"Is there anything that I can get for you before takeoff, Mr. McCoy? Champagne, soda or just water?"

"No thank you. I shall prefer it later."

The no- smoking sign came alive, along with the seat belt. Slowly, but surely the airplane took off in the air. A few minutes later, the intercom buzzed in, along with the voice of the voice of the captain.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I am interrupting this flight with some bad news for you all."

He stiffened up.

"It seems that England has beaten Vilena in the world cup finals. A clear victory 4-0."

A collective groan sounded through the plane, and it seemed as crashing into the next mountain seemed highly favorable.

The hostess came back to him.

"Now that we are on our way, do you want anything now, Mr. McCoy?"

"I think that a glass of champagne shall do nicely."

He got his glass, along with another piece of paper which had her phone no. along with the words 'call me'.

Smiling, Edward Elric savored the smooth taste of champagne.

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**Firstly, of there is any real Carlos Figuera in the real world, I am sorry! I do not meant to relate to you in this fic, the name simply popped up in my head. **

**I dont think that the country of Vilena does exist. And I do not have anything against England, Portugal, or America. Please do not badger me for what I have written on this fic. If I have offended you, I am sorry. **

**Standard is taken to be the fictional currency of a fictional country. I do not mean to relate it to anything else.**

**I also do not know if the M75 I model is foldable or no. Also i do not know the effective range of the .223 cartridge. If you have the correct figures, please tell me, for then I shall edit it accordingly. **

**Review please! It does not take a lot of time to do so, only one or two minutes. Please do so! It makes me feel better ! **

**Thanks again for reading this. **


	2. Chapter 2

_______Agent files from the organisation. File: DC-639272_

_______Status: Classified. Delta Clearance required._

_______Name: Edward Elric._

_______Code: Fullmetal._

_______Identification Number: 3102011_

_______Family: Unknown._

_______DOB ( MM/DD/YYYY ): Unknown._

_______Original residental address: Unknown._

_______Earlier occupation: Unknown._

_______Status: Alive._

_______Date of inclusion ( MM/DD/YYYY ): 02/12/2010_

_______Rank: Omega Operative._

_______Spealizes in: All fields. _

_______Reflexes test results: Results were off the charts._

_______Strength test results: Quite formidable._

_______Firearm test results: Great accuracy and speed. Capable of dual wielding multiple weapons._

_______Battle test results: Highly perceptive. Opposing combatants were immediately subdued._

_______Choice of weapons: Two Heckler & Koch MP 7._

_______Total missions: 74_

_______Success: 74_

_______Failure: 0_

_______Injured in: 5_

_______Caused death of a team member: 0_

_______Superior: Roy Mustang_

_______Assistant: Riza Hawkeye_

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Well, Here is chap 2 ! Enjoy !

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**Chapter 2**

Precisely at 8, the clock chimed, awaking the occupants of the room. The male one still remained snoring, which was not the case with the female counterpart. Groaning, she reached out and stopped the irritating alarm, which her lazy boyfriend had purposely put on her side. The action had many causes as well as effects, which were not quite harmless.

Brushing the sleep out of her eyes, the female got out of bed and went on to the large mirror installed in the house, to check out her form. A 25 year old, along with lemon blond hair which reached her waist and blue eyes that stared back at her. Now, these eyes were puffy and had certain dark line beneath them. Winry Rockbell noticed them and stifled a yawn. Long hours at work were certainly taxing on her, but the pay was extremely good.

Being the senior researcher of microbiology at Uroboros Corp. meant long hours at work. But there was nothing more that she enjoyed other than tinkling with automail. Many of her co-worker used to call her demented, including her boyfriend, as a female being interested with metal prosthetics was a rare treat. Most of them would be rewarded by a wrench or a hammer to their skulls, which was enough to send them into concussions. However the reason for her newest long hours of work was unique. Her department recently had a breakthrough, with herself as the major contributor.

They had researched another vaccine for the deadly virus known as 'Hydra'. It was discovered sometime around 2010, starting with a very few cases. However, the exchange rate of the virus grew rapidly, and the virus proved as deadly. Causalities piled up like flies to the shit, and there was no sight of a cure for the deadly virus. Later by sometime around 2011, Uroboros Corp. had researched an expensive vaccine named 'Hercules'. They played their homage to Greek mythology, and hence its name. However, the producing cost of the vaccine was high, and the price tag was even much so. It was accepted immediately, and the company blossomed to heights due to the high amount of money received due to the vaccine's sales. But the vaccine did very little to stem the flow of the virus. Lately, Winry was working on an alternate vaccine and finally she had succeeded. The finished product was then named 'Perseus', another tribute to Greek mythology. Perseus lacked 80% of the total production cost of the original vaccine, and it was highly effective.

Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she went on towards the bathroom, were she started the shower. She peeled off whatever she was wearing and stepped into the water. The water being icy, she cursed immediately and immediately lunged for the temperature controls. She turned up the heat, and relaxed. The heat that the water was providing was alluring, and she hoped that she didn't fall asleep again while in the shower. Her fatigue was sky high, and she was thankful that she had a half shift today.

When she had finished her bath, she peeked out the bathroom; her boyfriend loved to ambush her outside the room. Finding that the coast was clear, she dashed over to her own room, which was thankfully empty. The outfit that she chose was not showy, nor bland. She never liked to show off, and she gated those females who used to come to the office wearing extremely high heels along with miniskirts and tight shirts. After she finished dressing up, she headed over to the kitchen where she found that her breakfast was already kept ready, complete with the daily newspaper by its side. Smiling, she took it up and headed into the dining room, where her boyfriend of one year, Ducan, was sitting along with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand along with the newspaper in the other.

"You're up I see."

"Who else made the breakfast? And can't I even get a compliment for it?"

"Shut up. I don't get compliments everyday as I make the food."

"True, but you get them at night."

Winry managed a small blush.

"Hmm. That's ok. Maybe this time I'll overrule it."

"Have you read the news? Some dumb presidential candidate of Vilena was assassinated yesterday…."

"Yeah. I wonder if they've caught the culprit…."

"I don't think that they will. It does seem like a perfect job; no bullet casing, no broken glass, no witnesses, yada yada. I wonder if the police could even find the shooting spot."

Winry raised an eyebrow at that."You need to stop playing those games of yours. You're getting paranoid."

"Sue me."

Winry rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I, unlike you, have a job to complete, so I can't sit here lazing around."

"HEY! I said I'll leave at 9!"

"And its 8:50 already."

"It is? Shit!" with that, Ducan burst into action, and disappeared into the interior of the house.

Winry smiled, and moved towards the garage. Opening the door, she straddled the seat of her metallic blue Yamaha YZF R-1 and donned her white helmet.

Moments later she was gone with a burst of speed, and seemed nothing more than a blue blur.

* * *

Edward donned his portable headset that the organization had given him. It seemed like an ordinary earphone to the public, but what they didn't knew was that there was an additional digital screen display that was supposed to pop up from its side. Last night for him was fun; he had gone with the airhostess, and had an active night. He never had imagined a life outside of the organization, and thus he had decided to make the best of his time in it. Money, sex, and power were meaningless to him, as they were only a means for enjoyment. Money bored him, sex had some pros, but overall it was mostly a one night stand. His life wasn't suited for long relationships. Weapons were the only thing that piqued his interest as long as they were used in a battle. He simply loved the adrenaline rush that he got while doing any mission.

He pushed a thin button at the side of the device, which popped out a small LCD display screen from the receiver piece, and brought it near his eyes. Connection to the organization was made immediately, and he praised the advances in telecommunication. The blue screen was first filled with static, then immediately cleared a voice came through the earpiece. A pretty blond appeared in front of his right eye.

"Nice job in Vilena, Fullmetal. The fee is being trans-"

"Yeah yeah. Tell me something I don't know Hawkeye. And please! Really. I beg of you. Is it approved?"

Hawkeye managed a small smile.

"I'm sorry Ed. But no. Mustang is still kept as your in charge and-"

Edward cursed. The last thing he needed to hear was this.

"But, I'll be giving you your missions from now on. You'll only need to meet him once in while, mostly when you are giving in your monthly report."

"OH THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I AM SO GLAD THAT YOU HAVE DONE THIS!"

"Thank me later. And seriously Ed. He just likes to tease you."

"Tease me? That stupid, dumb, good for nothing bastard who knows nothing more than how to woo women! Do you know how much I hate him? If someone placed a 3 million dollar bounty on his head, I would be the first one to collect it! Heck, I'll even do it for free!"

Riza laughed. Being his assistant was quite worth the while.

"So, anything new?"

"Not much. I just have another assassination mission for you."

"Details?"

"The target is a Christopher Walker, head of the worker's union at a weapons manufacturing factory of Uroboros Corp. He has led the workers revolt over low wages, causing production to halt. The plant has been closed down since a week, and the losses are devastating for the company."

"Story checks out?"

"Naturally. The company HAD increased the wages, but still he demanded more."

"In short, he's a quite greedy guy."

"So to say. Now that Uroboros leads the world in weapons industry….well, they lead in almost all fields, but still - such an event proves to be harmful for many countries, and mostly the company itself."

"I get it. How does the client want it to happen?"

"An accident, mostly. They don't want the extra negative publicity."

"All right then. Target information?"

"Walker shall be protesting in front of the factory, which could be a good shot-"

"Hawkeye. How many times I have told you-"

"Not-to-interfere-with-my-plans-cause-I-make-them. Thank you for reminding me Edward, I know. I was simply telling you the particulars."

"Ok ok! No need to get all nasty with me! Sheesh! What is wrong with you people? Can't I crack a joke anymore?"

"Whatever. Anyways, complete this mission fast, as there is a high priority one immediately after this."

"Roger. Well? You gonna accompany me on this one?"

"Maybe. If I get the time."

"Oh come on! Please? You know I hate to go solo!"

"I know, Ed. I said maybe. I did not answer in the negative. So, there is still chance. Now scat. Sending the details…"

* * *

The crowd that had amassed in front of the factory was quite huge. And they were pissed off. Their anger was radiating off in waves, and most of them were clutching weapons of various kinds. Their opponents stood in front of them, dressed entirely in black combat fatigues. Their left hands held a tough plastic shield, designed to withstand dangerous impacts. Their right hands brandished midnight black colored batons, which they held tightly.

Chris was leading the workers. He himself was holding a fire axe, the blade shining dangerously in the sun. He was not afraid of killing someone, he wanted his job back. The factory was closed, cutting of his usual supply of greens. That did not spell well for a man who used to spend most of his money on gambling debts and casinos. Nodding to the men besides him, he gave the signal to charge.

The roar was monstrous. The effect was instantaneous. Molotov cocktails and rocks were pelted, the crowd roared and the ground shook due to the rampaging crowd. But the police stood their ground, steeling their resolve.

Chris was still leading the fray. He knew that the police would go soft on them. After all, they did not have the right to kill anyone. But that was not the case with him. He was a free man, free to do as he willed. Now, he just wanted to vent out his frustrations. Just as he reached within 10 meters of their formation, he was thrown back. He was not the only person. The charging crowd was assaulted by high pressure jets of icy cold water, making them lose their ground. Just as the crowd charged, similarly their anger turned into fear, and they turned tail and started to flee. Chris was still disoriented, and he struggled to get up. The water cannon had struck him hard, and the concrete was harder still. Just then, a baton crashed with great intensity on his ribcage, making him reel backwards again. The blow was vicious, and he was sure that some of his ribs had cracked by the mere force of the impact. He tried to flee, but a blow was dealt to his knees even before he could turn. He felt his kneecap break, just when another blow was sent to his chest, knocking the air out of him. The baton did not stop; it continued to lash against him. Later, he started losing count of the number of blows received. He was sure that half of his ribcage was cracked, while he was missing several teeth. He couldn't feel his legs, and he barely made out the image of the cop who dealt another blow to him, making him unconscious.

Edward stepped back, smiling. He spoke into his headset. "Hey Hawkeye! It looks that I will be needing your help after all."

* * *

Later that day, Christopher Walker was admitted into a hospital with several fractures and blunt force trauma, a case which sent him into the ICU. The police report was stating it due to the stampede. That was not much of a surprise, as several other people were injured, but none so severe.

A nurse walked through the bleached halls of the hospital, which were extremely quiet, as it was 2 in the morning. The voice of her heels made little to no sound, as she was trained. Her pockets were empty, save one. The contents of the pocket would prove useful later. She passed some doctors who had the graveyard shift, and headed down the halls. A few nurses still lingered, checking up on random patients. She turned right at a fork, choosing the right hand path. A double door was in her path, and she quickly passed them. Reaching the ICU ward, she slowed down, almost to a crawl.

Glancing through the window of a door, she ensured that the occupant of the room was asleep. Then she noiselessly entered the room, and pulled on her gloves as a safety measure. The monitors were silently beeping, showing signs of life. Reaching into her occupied pocket, she pulled out a syringe, which was quite empty. However, the owner of the syringe was not surprised in the least, and even attached a viciously thin needle to it. She pulled the plunger back, filling the cartridge with nothing but air, and slightly pierced the IV drip of the patient. The tube moved minimally, oblivious to the fact that someone had invaded the territory. She did not wait the syringe had already pumped most of its contents into the IV. A few moments later, the entire column of air was pushed into the IV which travelled steadily down the IV tube, towards the target. She then applied an invisible sealant to the area where she had introduced the needle. Later when the large air column disappeared completely, into the victim. A few minutes later, the patient flat lined.

Her job done, she left the room, just as silently as she came. She reached for the nearest fire exit, where she stripped off her nurse uniform. She carried it with her, nonetheless. She would dispose of it later. Smiling to herself for a job well done, she headed down he steps. The official report would say that Christopher Walker was killed by air embolism, thanks to a malfunctioning IV. The police would hardly try to investigate further, and the case would be closed as an accidental death. She stepped into the cool midnight air, into a waiting car. The security cameras would show nothing as usual, as they were looped moments before her entrance.

She smiled at the driver.

"It's done."

"Great! Now what about that other mission you were talking about?"

Riza smiled. Edward was always ready for new missions, whatever may be the risk. She sometimes wondered why he chose her as his assistant, but he simply used to remind her that she was the best. Shaking herself out her thoughts, she took out a number of files from a folder which was kept in the backseat.

* * *

**First of all thanks to The Pandemonium-Chaos Disorder for beta-ing this! It was a great help! **

**Before anyone asks, air embolism CAN kill people, so dont bug me for that.**

**Edward shall meet Winry in the next chapter, to be precise.**

**Thanks for the reviews! I loved em!**

**Please review! It only takes one minute!**


	3. Chapter 3

**First of all, I hope and pray for all the people in Japan who are affected by the Tsunami.**

**Disclamer: I do not own FMA**

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**Chapter 3**

The night was cold and dark.

Edward thought that he would have slept soundly in his car, if not for the presence of his rather intimidating blonde assistant in the passenger seat. He wanted nothing else than a warm bad and a pillow. However, his internal sleeping fantasy was interrupted, once again by Riza.

"This is a highly valued mission, so take care of every detail Ed."

Those words banished the haze in front of his eyes, and his body pumped adrenaline in his veins of its own accord.

"Go on."

"In this, you have to protect a Winry Rockbell, a biologist who works for the Uroboros Corp. She is their lead researcher in the field of microbiology and virology. Recently, she was able to synthesize a cure to the Hydra virus. A rathercost effective one too. According to the official report, it lacks 80% of the original cure's production charge. This had made her a target from terrorists, and rival companies. Although Uroboros has confirmed with us that it has taken the necessary steps for her safety, the governments of the world are not confirmed with that solely."

"That is, the president of USA." Edward muttered, not diverting his attention from the road.

Riza managed a smile at his perceptiveness.

"Be as it may, her status has been put on as 'highly endangered'."

"Whoa! That serious?"

"Apparently, that is the case. The cure synthesized by her is absolutely essential, as it shall help in controlling the virus that is running rampant in this world. Her survival is ABSOLUTELY essential. Take her file; go over it as soon as you can."

"When do I begin?"

"Tomorrow. She is to appear at the Lotus hotel for the company's annual party, where she will be honored for her achievement. We have received Intel that there shall be an assassination attempt on her tomorrow."

"Damm it! Does it have to be The Lotus every time?"

Riza ignored his outburst. The Lotus, was so far one of the best and few 7 star hotels in the world. It was ridiculously expensive, and the service was amazing. It had state of the art security systems, along with its own security team. The rumors of the team were able to put a Special Forces unit to shame. It was said that they were outfitted with the latest weaponry, and the unit was made of men handpicked from the crack units of the world, which included SAS, the Mossad, Delta 7 and many more. Infiltrating the hotel was a challenge, even for Edward.

"The party will be held in the evening, and will go until the night. I suggest that you borrow a tux, Edward. But try not to woo many ladies, which may be a hindrance for the likes of you."

Edward managed a laugh as the car speeded along the vacant road.

"Are you going to be there?" he asked suddenly.

"Are you asking me for a date?"

Damm. Precise as ever.

"Suffice to say, yes."

Riza gave him a small smile. Edward never lost his touch. If not for the mission, she would have accepted. But sadly this was not the case in the present.

"You amuse me, Edward. As always. Unfortunately, I would have to guide you, a task that you still bestow upon me and only me to carry out."

Edward remained quiet for a few seconds, and then he cursed. His reaction made her giggle, a rare occurrence. Edward dropped her off at her place, and then shot down the road. He wanted to get home, and fast. It was not a good thing to keep a family waiting.

* * *

"Big brother! You're back!" a cheery yet high pitched voice reached his ears just as he entered the main room of him lavish house…shared with the family of his close friend, Maes Huges.

Smiling to himself, Edward bent down and picked up the small child who was rampaging around his ankles, a desperate attempt for her to get him lift her up. Even if he was drained, Edward always found time and energy for his goddaughter, Elysia Hughes.

He grabbed her by her tiny waist, swung her in circles, giving her a wild smile as he did. She laughed wonderfully while she was spinning, and that sound caught the attention of her parent, who came out to greet the tired male.

"That's enough Elysia, let Edward rest. He's dead beat."

Elysia gave a massive pout, but obeyed and headed off to the living room again, to join her mother. Maes looked at her retreating form, and when he was sure that she was out of her sensitive hearing range, he turned to Edward and gave a bright smile.

"Hey! Tough day?"

"You could say that."

Maes chuckled.

"It does surely beat sitting at a desk all day long."

"Shut up. Come with me on one of missions once, and then talk…"

"Yeah yeah. Going to bed now? I got the files of the mission…"

"Yeah." Edward stifled a yawn, finding out that he was truly tired."Stupid thing's tomorrow, and have to infiltrate The Lotus. Again."

Maes gave out a fully fledged laugh at that piece of news.

"Gracia's cleaned your room earlier. Go ahead, enjoy."

The prospect of sleep never looked so inviting.

* * *

_Who am I? I really don't know. Funny I should say that myself. I never really don't know who I am, that is certain._

_My name? Edward Elric. However, I really don't use that name anymore. My name keeps on changing like the days of the week, and yet it hardly matters to me. I was never fond of names anyways, except for mine. Because that is the only thing that is the key to my past._

_My past? I am as clueless as you are. I don't remember of my life two years back. It is just like a white space, full with emptiness. Waiting to be filled._

_My life? I don't really care about it anymore, I guess. Do this, do that. Go there, kill him, burn your brain cells for a mission, yada yada. Those things never ended. I don't really think that they will. Such things can never end. There has to be a bad side. There has to be the other side of the coin. There has to be a yang._

_While many crazed teenagers would love to be in my shoes- the cold hearted agent that I am. Fools, all of them. They hardly know what it takes to be one of us. The planning, the mindscape, the thought process, the field where a single mistake could be your last. All of that is simply too much to comprehend for an average guy. Multiple agents find themselves unable to cope up with the enormous pressure that comes a perk with the job, and find that their life's end rather prematurely and painfully. The rest of us, who cope up with it, every single bloody day, have to find alternate methods to keeps ourselves sane. The methods are endless, and yet I can't bring myself to discuss them._

_However, there is one method that has always intrigued me. Maes calls it love. I really wonder about it. How can love, an emotion, which gets in our way in the field can be a stress reliever? I don't know and don't want to know. How can someone like me be capable of love? Who will be actually sensible and sane enough to fall in love with the real me?_

_Again, I find myself without answers._

* * *

"Nervous?"

"Seriously Ducan. If you say that one more time….."

"What? You'll bash my head in front of everyone present here?" He gave her a mock hurt look.

"What makes you think that I won't?" The tone of Winry's voice sent shivers down his spine. He made it a point to leave the surroundings immediately. An angry winry was the last thing that he wanted to witness.

"Er…bathroom?" With that, he quickly slipped out of her notice; even before she could raise her voice in protest.

She stood there alone; taking the fact in that her boyfriend had ran away. Again. Her jaw was literally on its hinges. Oh, how she hated him for doing stupid things like that. Sometimes, she really wondered if she had fallen in love with the right guy….

Shaking her head violently, she discarded those ideas. Ducan was a good guy, if not one of the best. Helping herself to a glass of champagne, she wandered off in the carpeted hall, weaving her way through the various head that stood in her way, hoping to catch someone equivalent as a friend or an acquaintance. However, luck seemed to be plotting against her, and she found no such person.

Sighing, she backed into a corner, sipping the drink slightly. She surveyed the crowd again, out of sheer boredom. She hated to come to these parties, for such events made her restless. She really wanted to go home, but this event was for her team's achievement, and she had to see it. Suddenly, she was brought out her musing by a tap to her shoulder. Expecting Ducan, she whirled around quite violently, wanting to berate him for abandoning her. The sight caught her completely off guard.

A blond was there, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement, probably at her rapid movement. He had messy blond hair that reached his ears, ending with a slight curl. Even though this was a formal event, the person in front of her seemed to care less for the rules, and the mop of he his hair was testament to that fact. His tie was dangling lightly loose from the top button, which gave him a very alluring look. The pale blue shirt that he wore and the trim cut suit almost made him equivalent to the beauty of a God. He was still smiling at her, a smile which showed off his flawless teeth. He held two champagne glasses in his hand, and had extended one of them towards her.

However, Winry's brain had temporarily shut down; still finding trouble to accept the fact that such a handsome man actually existed on the face of the earth. A major part of her brain was telling her to dump Ducan right here and to jump the person in front of her, while the other restrained her with whatever it could.

The man still was smiling, aware of the mental battle that was taking in front of him. He usually had this effect when he used to attend parties, and enjoyed it to its fullest extent. However, he knew that he was wasting time and extended the glass even further.

"Name's Frank Smith. You must be Winry Rockbell…"

* * *

**Flashback.**

_Infiltrating the hotel had never been simpler for Edward. The hotel had conveniently ordered a huge batch of fresh fruits, and Edward had used that to its fullest extent. His equipment went in unchecked, disguised as a fruit container. A few bribes ensured that no one would ever check it again, and it would be left undisturbed in the fire escape. Edward himself posed as an employee, and got in without further ado. Once inside, a quick strip and makeover made him into a guest for the event, complete along with a faked invitation. No one noticed the quick entry of his through the fire escape stairs._

_However, his cover was now the last thing in his mind. Another thing in the stairwell had caught his attention._

_He was quickly changing his attire, when a peculiar smell caught his attention. It was a smell that he was well acquainted with, as a part of his job. The smell of rotting bodies. A quick search of the surroundings led him to a janitor's room, which was conveniently locked for the duration of the event. After picking it, he went inside, his MP 7 at the ready. He never took risks, mostly when there is supposed to be an attempt on the life of an important scholar._

_Several decomposing bodies caught his attention. All had their throats slit, and their faces held expressions of shock, as if they were ambushed. All were wearing janitor's overalls, but their bodies said otherwise. They were too….bulky to be janitors. Several theories started to form in his head, and he called Riza, while taking out one of his more complex gadgets. After sending a quick scan of the group's fingerprints, Edward found his way out._

* * *

"How do you know my name?" Her tone held genuine surprise.

"This event is organized for your achievement. It's natural that I would know your name."

Winry took the glass from him, while setting hers down on a nearby table and thanking him for the glass.

Waving it off, he continued, "How come you are alone anyways? I thought that the guest of honor should have at least an escort."

Winry frowned, as she remembered that her boyfriend was not back yet.

"He was here, but he suddenly had to answer the call of nature. I wonder why?"

"It must be because many find you intimidating." He deadpanned.

"What?"

"Hey, don't blame me, I'm new here. I'm just saying what is being passed around."

"I see. Thanks for the heads up anyways, Mr. Smith…"

"Call me Frank." He flashed a lady killing smile. She turned beet red at that.

"Only if you call me Winry."

"Done. Since it seems that your escort-"

"Partner."

Edward corrected his statement. "Partner, isn't here. Can I escort you for the time being?" he was smiling again, purposely.

"O-oh! I r-really don't know…. He may come back- " Winry actually wanted to accept it, and was disappointed with the answer that came out of her mouth.

"I'll leave when he arrives." he added, conveniently leaving out the fact that her so called 'partner' was 'meeting' another woman.

Considering the situation a little bit, she nodded, giving him her permission. While her angel self on her right shoulder was reprimanding her, her devil was doing a happy dance. She sided with the devil, as she wanted payback on Ducan for leaving her.

* * *

They chatted for what seemed like hours, but in reality only mere minutes had passed. Winry was losing herself in the conversation, and even Edward was admitting that it was getting quite interesting. He had never met such a girl like Winry before. Armed with intense knowledge and passion she was a sight to behold. Edward had keep reminding himself over and over that she was just his mission, nothing else. He had never felt such an intense attraction to a young girl like this before, and was seriously trying to cope up with it. Winry was enjoying herself thoroughly, a thing that she did not share with Ducan most of the times. She pinched herself many times, forcing her body to control itself and to remember the fact that she had a boyfriend. But her body was traitorous, and she was found staring at his lips more than often, a fact that he seemed completely oblivious about.

Just when Edward leaned in for another joke, his earpiece exploded into static, the arrival of an urgent message. Cursing inwardly about his ear, he retracted himself, and noticed that Winry was still staring at him, lost to the world. Their table was near the end of the hall, his choice. He wanted a fast escape if necessary. The static then calmed down, revealing the troubled noise of Riza.

"Fullmetal! Come in! Fullmetal! Answer me!"

"Fullmetal here. Go ahead." Riza used to call him Fullmetal only when there was an emergency.

"The results of the scans came in! They are the members of the hotel security! I advise you to grab the objective and get the hell out of there!"

Edward paled. Now that the hotel was without its fabled security team, their position was very much vulnerable to an assault.

As if on by cue, the doors of the hall burst open, revealing the opponents, who were dressed in the hotel's security team's outfit.

_Crap._

* * *

They all stood over there, assessing the situation in front of them. The guests were starting to get confused and worried. The security coming in full battle gear to an event was a surprise to most. They were dressed very much menacingly, along with full combat fatigues, black balaclavas, black body armor, helmets, side arms and all. But the main reason they looked menacing was because of what they carried and what was attached to their vests. 6 grenades were attached, 3 in each row. Both rows of grenades had the same cylindrical shape. However, the different color of their bands was what caught Edward's attention.

One of them had an orange band, which later turned metallic red. They were the notorious fragmentation charges. Highly dangerous to groups of people, they were designed to reduce crowds to shreds. Packed within the cylinder were small yet sharp and strong metal pieces, numbering in the thousands. When the grenade explodes, they would get launched in all directions, at once, with great speed. Unable to be taken out due to their small size, they would cause a horrible death. They penetrate skin and bone without problems, usually causing instant death to those in the immediate area.

The other grenade was what made Edward sweat profusely. Instead of an orange band, it had a light blue band going around it. The color was well known. They were the signature weapons of the SAS, the nitrogen charges. Each cylinder housed quantities of liquid nitrogen, making it a deadly weapon for any living body.

Their guns were no less intimidating. Edward was not sure of the name, but the sight of their triple barrels sent a shiver down his spine. The sight of small wires confirmed the fact that the bullets were fired by electrical pulses, further making them dangerous. Such weapons had a high firing rate.

He was screwed. Literally.

* * *

With one small event, it seemed that it was a rollercoaster ride down to hell. One stupid person had the guts to shout out at them, which made him a convulsing pulp of his organs within the second. The rest of the guests were too terrified to do anything after that, and Winry was next to sobbing. Edward scooted over to her as inconspicuously as he could, and slid an arm over her shoulder, trying to comfort her. He saw that they had begun demanding the valuables and the money from the guests. Most of them were terrified to say anything; He knew that they had come for her. It was simply a cover up for the real purpose. He did not know who they were, but he knew that he had to act.

Just within the minute, they reached their table. Winry gave up without a fight, handing over her golden purse and her keys to her car. Edward remained silent, and quietly removed his small knife from its hiding spot in his sleeves. They came for him, menacing as always. He noticed that their eyes still lingered on Winry.

"Give it."

"I don't have anything."

He responded by tightening his finger on the trigger.

"One last time. Give us your valuables."

Winry made her way over to him, being the caring girl she was.

The men saw their chance, so did Edward.

Time slowed.

* * *

Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Winry's gasp, the movement of the men, the screams from some of the females in the crowd. Everything slowed down. All except Edward.

He was moving as if it was normal for him, as if his world was moving in normal speeds, not as super slow replay of some video clip.

To the rest of the world, he looked like a golden blur.

Edward did not waste any time, thrust the knife at the base of one of his opponent's neck, and twisted it till he received an audible snap. Withdrawing it as fast as he could, he threw it at the other, where it embedded itself in his skull. Without further ado, he picked up their guns and started firing at the rest of the opponents, downing three of them.

Then, the rest of the world came back to life, only to see that 5 of the opponents were dead. The crowd did the thing that came first into their minds.

They screamed.

* * *

One events accounts to another, so, the screaming started a stampede, and Edward found the perfect cover to whisk a shocked Winry away.

"Wait!...What?...How? …fast…." She was sprouting nonsense, mostly in a shock.

He made his way over to a side room, which was thankfully empty and led to the fire exit. Surprisingly, the fire exit was empty as well. He turned to face her.

"Wait here. Don't let anyone; I repeat anyone, come near you. Got that?"

Winry was too shocked to say anything.

"Hey! I asked you something!"

That snapped her out of her daze. She sobered up immediately, and a horrified look came upon her face. She opened her mouth to ask, but Edward placed his hand over it.

"This is not the time to ask questions. I am here to protect you, and you better believe that I will. They are out there for your blood, so stay put, and do not allow anyone to come close. Even if you know them personally. Got it?"

She opened and closed her mouth twice like a goldfish, before finally closing it and nodding dumbly. Edward smiled, and gave her one of his guns. With that, he hefted his weapon and headed back into the hall.

* * *

It was a massacre. Bodies were piling up as if it they were snowflakes during a blizzard and the number of opponents had still not decreased. They were still firing with amusement at the wildly retreating crowd, and were too busy to notice that a grenade had landed near them.

The resulting blast took down their numbers by almost half, leaving 6 for Edward to deal with. Discarding his bulky weapon, he removed his jacket, to reveal a combat harness, to which holstered just two guns were, both MP 7s. While having a moderate stopping power, their sheer rate of firing was mind boggling. And replacing the ordinary 9mm bullets with hollow points took care of their power. Whipping them up, he unleashed a hailstorm of lead on the remaining forces, downing another 2 immediately. The rest retaliated, forcing him to seek cover from their fire. Glancing from his place, he took down another, while the other two were still busy finding out his location. Once again he was forced to dodge, as the other two kept on firing. Suddenly, his leg got caught in a dead body, sending him tumbling down on the ground. Just as he scrambled to get up, he saw himself staring down the barrels of their guns. The masked men gave him a smile through his balaclava, and pressed the trigger.

_Click._

Empty.

The man's head burst from a bullet that drilled through and later exploded. The last person went down in a similar fashion.

Getting up, he counted the number of the bodies in battle armor. He was surprised to find only 19, he was sure that 20 entered the hall. Counting again, he found the total same as before.

That meant only one thing.

* * *

Winry was in a quandary. She was expecting this to be a phenomenal night, the crowning of her career. But that was not to be. Fate had a cruel way of twisting things, taking your hard earned reward underneath your nose the moment you had earned it. The night was turning out to be a nightmare for her. She tried to close her eyes and hoped that it was a bad dream; one that she wanted a way out desperately.

"Winry!"

That shout brought her back to her senses.

"DUCAN!" She shouted joyfully and leapt at her boyfriend's shape that had emerged from the door.

"Oh my god! I thought that something happened to you! I was so wo-"

"Winry. Calm down. I'm all right, so don't worry about that."

She absolutely refused to end the hug, but she had totally forgotten about the gun that Edward had given her in her joy. The aforementioned object was banged against the poor guy's skull, making him see stars in his vision. He then pried her off him, and looked at the offending object.

"Winry..." he began in a calm voice, "Who gave you this?"

"Oh! It was a guy….the same one who saved me later. He still out there, fighting…"

"I see." Traces of a frown were visible on his face. "Well, anyways, we have to get out of here as soon as we can. You better give the gun to me; I'll handle it better than you."

Winry gave the gun to him without a thought, just as the door was kicked open again. This time however, it was an angry blond, who pointed both of his guns at Ducan.

"Drop it." His voice was venomous.

Winry was taken aback. "Wait, Frank! He's Ducan…my partner. He's not the bad guy!"

Both of them ignored her.

"I'll say it again. Drop it."

Ducan was still silent, his grip on the pistol, firm. Winry saw that this won't end nicely, and gave Edward a good bonk on his head with her fists, making him drop his aim.

That was all Ducan needed.

Moving swiftly and expertly, he grabbed both of Winry's hands in one of his while the other one he leveled the gun at her neck. It would be an understatement to say that she was shocked.

"Ducan! What are you doing? Let me go this instant!"

Ducan responded by pushing the barrel of the gun more into her neck. Meanwhile Edward was pointing his guns again at him.

"Are you sure that you want to shoot me with sub machine guns, agent? After all, you could hit her."

"There is a single fire mode."

Ducan gave out a sinister laugh.

"Humorous as always agent. But you would want to leave your cockiness aside, or a stray bullet could end her life, you know."

"You'll still end up dead."

"That is of no consequence. I would have achieved my objective by then."

Edward gritted his teeth. As much as he hated it to think of it, the man was right. Meanwhile, Winry had broken into tears.

"D-Ducan? What a-are you doing? P-please tell me that it is a j-joke..."

"Shut up you whore! Do not speak when others are talking. Keep quiet, or I'll silence you forever!"

That struck a nerve with the blond. Her sorrow and grief vanished immediately, and was replaced by pure adulterated rage. She began to squirm violently, forcing Ducan to tighten his hold on her. However, she reared her leg, and kicked him hard with her heels on his jewels.

_Ouch._

Ducan gave out a scream of pure anger, shock and pain. He fell to the ground squirming, and Winry kicked him again.

"DO NOT! I REPEAT, DO_ NOT_ CALL ME A WHORE!"

However, for a male, Ducan recovered quite easily, and found that his pistol had fallen down. Seeing that Edward was going to fire, he pushed Winry on top of him, forcing him to catch her and lower his guns. That gave him enough time to remove a vicious looking blade that was hidden in a sheath on his back. Wasting no more time, he went forward to finish both of them off. Edward saw this coming and raised his right arm up in defense.

_Thunk._

Instead of hitting flesh, the noise was of metal hitting metal. Suddenly, Edward's arm began to emit a whirring noise, similar to those of gears working together. His arm changed, and his fingers were replaced by three robotic appendages. They wrapped around the blade itself, and broke it in a swift motion.

Ducan was shocked. The agent in front of him had one of the finest types of automail, and that annihilated his chance of a physical match victory over him. Thankfully, he had a last card up his sleeve. He removed three flash grenades from his coat and threw them on the ground. Turning away, he removed a small switch and activated it. A resonating beeping sound came throughout the floor. Smiling to himself, he jumped out of the broken window, only to open a parachute on the outside.

* * *

Edward turned to the other side in order to avoid the bright flash. Thankfully he shielded Winry also while doing the same and they were saved from the flash. But the beeping sound caught his attention. Such sound meant only one thing.

_'Erasers! When did they set that up? Damm it! I would have to jump too!'_

Wasting no more time, he grabbed Winry, and ignored her protests. He lifted her bridal style, which caused her to blush profusely. Winry was incredibly glad that he was too preoccupied to notice it.

"Do you trust me?" She heard him asking.

She really didn't know how to answer that. Her own boyfriend of 2 years had tried to kill her while the guy in front of her had saved her life twice during the last few hours. Making a strong yet meek face, she looked back at him.

"Yes."

"Good. Hold on tight."

"Wait! Whatever are you going to do, before that, what is your real name?"

"My name…..is Edward Elric."

Winry gave a slight nod. Before he could do anything else, her body moved of her own accord. She leaned forward, and planted a full kiss on his lips.

"What was that for?" he asked in a slight growl, which she found to be incredibly amusing.

"For luck." With that, she looked away, unable to look into his eyes, blushing heavily.

Edward waited for a moment, and then caught her even more tightly.

"Thanks."

And with that, he took off from the window.

Seconds later, the floor exploded.

* * *

**As I said earlier, I really hope that the crisis in Japan ends fast.**

**And now with the chapter...**

**I am sorry for a late update, I had my exams, and I still have them , so this is my last update till 10th april or such...I cant say anything more about that.**

**I also dont know perfectly if nitrogen grenades do exist or if they are the trademark of the SAS. If I have offended anyone, I am sorry.**

**The story is set around 2013 to be precise. **

**For those who dont know, erasers are devies, explosives or basically a plan to remove traces of a secret ops unit who got killed in a location where they are not supposed to be found. Erasers are of various types, but exploding devices work best I think.**

**And the time slowing thing is actually Edward moving REALLY fast. That's his ability, and you'll learn more of it in later chaps. However, he cant keep that on all the time, it tires him out.**

**His automail is highly advanced here, I go into its details later...**

**And thanks for the reviews! Can I get somewhere around 7-8 for this chap? Please? Lol -_- **:P

**And special thanks to The-Pandemonium-Chaos-Disorder for beta-ing this! **


	4. Chapter 4

Files from Uroboros Corp.

Title: Official report on the Necromantic virus. a.k.a 'Hydra'

The Hydra virus is a completely unique strain of virus. Unlike its counterparts, instead of seeping into a host's body undetected it alerts each and every cell of the host's body to its presence. Moreover, it does not have nay self defense mechanisms- it allows it self to be consumed by the multiple amount of defense cells that lie with the body. However, that is where the attack starts. When a cell thoroughly consume the virus, it takes control over the cell by some unknown means. Moreover, the transfer of piewr is rapid, so as to ensure the maximum amount of reproduction from the cell. Another unique and dangerous ability is that when the infected cell is destroyed, or broken down, by some highly unknown factor, 2 of the original viruses take its place, thus giving it its name. The virus works incredibly fast, and completely takes over the body in less that 20 hours. The virus can be contracted through any possible way; extreme caution is advised. Dwath can occur within the day if left untreated. Symptoms include extreme body heat, irritation, grisly pigmentation on the skin, nausea and vomiting.

* * *

Chapter 4: Getaway

* * *

Within seconds, the entire 67th floor of The Lotus was turned into a pile of dust and rubble, thanks to multiple blocks of C4 explosives placed in strategic positions on the floor. Usually, the explosion would not be so extreme, but however, since the explosive used was C4; the results are usually disastrous.

C4 has a detonation velocity of 8,092 m/s. A major advantage of C4 is that it can easily be molded into any desired shape. C4 can be pressed into gaps, cracks, holes and voids in buildings, bridges, equipment or machinery. Similarly, it can easily be inserted into empty shaped charge cases of the type used by military engineers.C4 is very stable and insensitive to most physical shocks. Detonation can only be initiated by a combination of extreme heat and a shock wave, as when a detonator inserted into it is fired. C4 cannot be detonated by a gunshot or by dropping it onto a hard surface. It does not explode when set on fire or exposed to microwave radiation. When ignited with a flame rather than detonated with a primary explosive, C4 burns slowly, so soldiers during the Vietnam War era would sometimes use small amounts of it as a fuel for heating rations. Burning C4 produces poisonous fumes and should be avoided.

* * *

All in all, it was not a pretty sight. However, a figure was slowly descending through the building from the outside, with the help of a parachute. The figure had another person hanging onto him for dear life, as they floated downwards. Due to the air's velocity and the explosion, Edward's wig came off, and he had removed his colored contact lenses before he jumped, they were nothing more than a hindrance. While he relished the feeling of air rushing through his ears, his partner did not. He highly resisted the urge to shout out in joy, just because his partner was screaming out in fear. He really wanted to shut her up, but he considered the fact that her safety was his mission, and that was his top most priority. He very much wanted to delay his downward flight, but his mission would state otherwise. Resisting the urge to groan, he silently directed the parachute downwards.

Winry was having the time of her life. She really wanted to jump from a great height using a parachute. When she had seen Frank-no Edward, release the parachute, she wanted to give a victory whoop.

But what she really didn't want was the explosion that rocked the building moments later.

She used to love all action movies, something which was uncommon for ladies of her age. But seeing it in real life was much more terrifying and eardrum shattering that seeing it in a 3D theater. All she wanted then was to remain safe, no matter what happened to the others. Even if she found that chain of thought strange, it simply remained in her mind. As a result, she started squirming in Edward's grasp. Although, the male was not even fazed by the action. It was almost like he expected it.

Within the minute the two figures touched the ground. That was when the effect of gravity truly kicked in and both stumbled onto the ground, wounding up in a tangle of limbs and cloth. It did take quite some time for them to rearrange themselves, but just when they did, Edward was faced by a very red-faced and angry Winry.

"NEVER-DO-THAT-AGAIN!" She pronounced each and every word separately and forcefully, thus ensuring the fact that Edward really understood her fury.

However, her anger doubled when she saw that Edward just threw off her warning like it was of no consequence.

"HEY! I was talking to you!"

Edward turned to face her. "Yeah. I know."

"SO?"

"So what?"

"You were at least supposed to give a reply to me!"

"I was?" After a pause, he shrugged, "Never mind that now. I need to get you out of here."

"Where are you taking me?"

"I'll tell you later. Now, follow me. "

"Where exactly?"

Silence was her only answer. Without any warning, he grabbed her arm and half dragged her through the streets. People had begun piling on the streets, gathered by the immense explosion. Thanks to that, they were able to silently slip through the crowd. The emergency services had still not arrived, making it much easier for them. However, the sight of severed and burnt body parts that littered the floor was a gruesome sight.

Finally Edward led her to a sleek black Subaru. The sight of a rally car within a city surprised her, but since the fact remained that her rescuer was surprising, this was nothing in comparison. A simple jab on a small remote and the doors were open, all without a sound.

"Get in."

She obeyed without a word. Actually, she was very much interested to see the interior of the car. She had wished more than once to see the interior of an actual secret agent's car; as she was an avid fan of the James Bond series. However, the sight was very much disappointing. It resembled a normal car, the usual dashboard, and no fancy gadget.

"You seem disappointed."

She jumped at that, hitting her head on the roof of the interior.

"Ow ow ow…."

Hearing his voice after a long silence was a bit unnerving for her. At the party, he seemed lively; and now, he was almost emotionless, she noted.

"We must not waste time. They will be after….."

His sentence was broken by the squealing of tires, as almost 5 cars rounded at the corner, heading for them.

"….us soon."

Thankfully, Winry jumped in the seat slamming the door behind her. Her scared personality opposed the calm one of Edward's.

The car shot forward within the second.

* * *

Winry had a death grip on the armrest. She was literally scared to death, as Edward drove his car through the streets, which were void of traffic for once. He drove it almost like a madman, yet never once lost control. He preferred the term 'aggressive driving' while she preferred 'madness'. 3 of their pursuers remained, as 2 of them had crashed, all thanks to Edward's rash driving. The 4 cars were engaged in a deadly game along with the occasional of one car 'bumping' into the other and the shooting. All the skidding was making Winry wish that she hadn't eaten anything, while the look on Edward's face looked like as he was thoroughly enjoying his job.

A 360 degree skid and a few couple of .50 AE bullets from Edward's gun made the engine of another car into a junk of flaming metal. The rest of cars shot down the road, thoroughly intent on finishing their target once and for all. All that time, Edward was finding it difficult to concentrate as Winry was asking him multiple questions.

"How did you do that?"

"Skill."

"Don't you have any other way?"

"No."

"You are supposed to be something like a….super secret agent! Then why doesn't this car have any super secret gadgets?"

"It's not mine."

"Then how come its bullet proof?"

"It belongs to a friend."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Why are we doing this as if we are playing 20 questions?"

"You started it."

After that, she remained silent for a while, noticing the fact that there was a narrow tunnel coming up.

"Hey! So then…..does your car have any super cool gadgets?"

"No."

"Why are you answering everything in one or two words?"

"Because that is the answer. That is what you wanted, wasn't it?"

The simplicity of his answer struck her dumb. Her mind noted that her tone was all riled up, her hair was a mess and her face was red with anger. While his tone was absolutely calm, he retained control. However it seemed as if that was not the case as she noted that their car had slowed down somewhat. A mistake that even Edward took some time to realize.

Promptly as he realized his mistake, a car slammed into the back while another began pushing his car continuously from Winry's side. In short, both cars had stuck themselves to either of the sides of their car and were pushing the car to the wall. It seemed senseless, but then Winry noticed that there was a huge and heavy pile of machinery that was kept there for some maintenance work almost 500 meters away from their position. It seemed as if they wanted his car to crash on it, and they did mean business. Edward did try to slow down or alter his course, but the other cars forbid him from doing it so. Winry was letting her tears fall freely then, and Edward was gritting his teeth. The situation was certainly grim and he needed an escape route. Fast.

Suddenly, he noticed that the tunnel was circular.

"All right. If that's how you all are going to play, then let's PLAY!"

With that, he revved up the engine, shifted into a more suitable gear and sped up the car. With that, he turned the wheel towards the direction of the wall, trying to get the car on it. It failed initially, and the failure was responded by the shortening of the distance between the car and the machine considerably, but he did not lose hope.

"COME ON!" And with that cry, the car was successfully able to climb the wall, all due to momentum. The car defied gravity, going up the wall and completing its loop like motion as it touched down on the opposite side. The following 2 cars were too shell shocked at the turn of events…..so much that they failed to see the machinery and promptly crashed into it. The car which was formerly behind Edward's car was going to swerve off at the last possible moment, thus giving it ample time to get away. However, the chain of events caught its driver completely by surprise, and its explosion caught the other car as well. During that, Edward had completed his loop and had landed safely ahead. When Edward shot out of the tunnel, he noticed that Winry had fallen unconscious.

Sighing to himself, he continued out in the dark night.

* * *

**Sorry for the short chapter, but this just included the getaway. Wanted to include a fistfight here, but decided against it.**

**I will be publishing a new FMA fic soon. Naturally, it shall be EdWin, and AU. That too will be sort of a spy story, based of something. Just check out my profile later. **

**And in case if anyone gets that bright idea, I AM NOT basing this story and the soon-to-be published fic on Knight and Day.**

**Tell me how his chapter was! Again, I am sorry for the late update, and the shortness.**

**And again... thanks to 'That Summer Together' for beta-ing this chap. ( p.s for her or her friends. Did I get the name right?) **


	5. Chapter 5

I do know that all of you really hate me now, ( dodges bullets ) so here is the next chapter! Enjoy!

**Chapter 5 **

* * *

**Automail type KT-097234 'The Dragon Tail'**

_The KT-097234 automail, simply known as the Dragon Tail, is the latest device in the field of offensive automail arms. Although its use is restricted to the upper limbs only, its incorporation is highly beneficiary to the person who uses it. The base metal used is an alloy of titanium and platinum, the titanium making it lighter and highly resistant to combat and atmospheric pressure, while the platinum ensures higher functioning. The gear-work that is incorporated inside the limb is truly state–of-the art, enabling the limb to perform several functions. The outer layer is again highly reinforced with titanium and inducted with a light fiber optic layer, allowing the limb to sustain immense pressure while the fiber optic makes the limb seem as an ordinary human hand, saving the user from electric shocks, and also enabling the user of the automail to pass through metal detectors unhindered._

_The combat capabilities of the arm are immense, as the arm was built for complete offense. Although the arm can deploy 'flaps' which can be used to stop or deflect bullets. The advanced lever and gear system ensures that the arm does not waste time from switching from the multiple combat modes that it possesses. Initially the arm is capable of stopping bladed objects, making it an ideal last defense. The digits can be replaced by three robotic appendages which can be used to have a firm hold on any object, thanks to the vacuum system installed in them. Then the arm has been outfitted with a dual barrel, belt fed machine gun, although the ammo carrying capacity is less. In addition to that, the machine gun has multiple firing modes, to suit the choice of the user. And finally, the very item that gave the arm its unique name; a highly potent nanotech blade, composed entirely of nanties is installed in the arm. The nanties ensure that the blade can cut through all kinds of metals without a hitch, and it has been tested to that effect. The nanties are stored in a magnetized chamber, ensuring that they don't end up eating through the arm itself. Once activated, the nanties are pushed outside and are 'forced' to take the shape of a blade, thus earning the name "Dragon Tail'_

_However, only 5 units of this technology have been produced, making it an absolutely rare and unique piece of technology._

* * *

The man walked through the entrance, enjoying the cool air of the ac. It was quite a change from the heat that was omnipresent outside, and he was happy that he was out of it. Although his current mental state was not at all helping him, as bands of sweat continued to form on his forehead, a clear sign that he was nervous. Controlling his breath he moved towards the security check, for his flight to Cuba was within the hour.

At the security check he just hoped that the police had not yet been alerted, as he was quiet famous with the Las Vegas police. Although he was in LA, there was still a risk of capture. Even if you changed your name, your passport, there was always the chance of someone recognizing you. And that was precisely the thing that he wanted to avoid. His one-time so-called 'employers' were generous, fabricating a new identity as well as giving him a first class ticket and a farmhouse in Cuba. Not to mention the million dollars. That, when coupled with the other 10 he had, he was set for life.

He passed through the security without hassle, a mean feat. He was checking over his shoulders every minute; as if the local P.D would pop out the corners to arrest him.

Time passed and he whiled away his time in the transit lounge by scanning the room and a Reader's Digest that he had brought along with him. He didn't want to eat, as his flight was just minutes away. He glanced around himself for what seemed the millionth time, and then stole a glance at his watch. To his surprise, the PA system announced his flight a few minutes early. He again took it in his stride and credited the fact to luck, as he always did.

As the plane taxied on the runway, doubts began to rampage his mind. He never had such an uneventful journey. The police were always on the lookout for him; after all being a mass murderer did come with added reputation benefits. But there were no cars rushing at breakneck speeds towards the plane, no cop pulling a John Wayne or Bruce Willis stunt to stop the take off. He remembered what his yoga instructor had told him once. Take long, deep breaths. Calm the body. Soothe the mind. An excellent person, even by his standards. Too bad he was dead.

The no smoking sign came alive like a bad habit, along with the seatbelt. He duly performed the latter action. Within moments he was airborne and finally away from US jurisdiction. He had never felt safer. A suddenly got the urge to celebrate, so he mentioned the airhostess that he would love a glass of champagne. In his hurry, he failed to notice the small tablet at the base of the glass.

A few moments later, he was within the restroom, puking the contents of his stomach out. As his attention was entirely taken by the task at his hand, he failed to notice the person that came through the ceiling and landed behind him with an almost inaudible thud. Nor did he almost notice that an extremely sharp knife was almost touching his neck.

"You took your time in getting here." The person behind him said in a gruff voice.

The man attempted to whirl around to face him, but was knocked out with a chop to the neck.

"Huh. Easy as pie."

Moments later, a figure exited the aircraft through a secret airlock chamber.

* * *

The man woke up moments later, bound to a chair. He looked around but saw only darkness. It took him quiet some time to understand the fact that he was blindfolded. He tried to free himself but the thin yet strong rope cut into his wrists further, making him wince. He tried taking a deep breath, but instantly regretted it. The airs invaded his lungs, but instantly caused a wave of nausea to invade him. The champagne that had remained in his stomach, came up at full force and thrown out of his body.

After retching and puking for a few minutes, he tried calling for help faintly, but found that his voice was weary and weak.

"I see that you have regained consciousness."

He suddenly jerked at the sound of that voice. It was feminine, yet it was commanding. It had an edge to it.

"W-who are you?"

"I don't think that you will be the one asking the questions, Mr. Nate Haskell."

On hearing that, Nate understood that he was being interrogated. However, by whom was the question. The local police wouldn't have the means of taking him from a moving airplane. So that shortened his choices down to the FBI or some other agency. The CIA didn't usually interfere in such matters, nor did NSA. So, if it were an FBI agent, he could have the chance of escaping or demanding for a lawyer. He could again come up with another excuse if he was put on trial again. The last time he had almost won and gone off scot free, but he had killed the wife of a person sitting in the jury. Needless to say, he was sentenced to a maximum security prison, but he managed to escape en route to the facility, saving him from a life sentence and the immense torture that came with it. He also noted that his interrogator was a female which was another plus. He always had luck with girls.

"So what am I supposed to do?" He asked, trying to put in a sort of a pleading tone.

"Just answer the question that I shall ask, nothing more, nothing less. Inability to do so…can lead to unforeseen circumstances."

"That's it? I thought that you will ask me to strip or someth…."

The rest of his statement was abruptly stopped as something metallic struck hard on the side of his face, easily breaking a few teeth.

"I will repeat one more time. Answer the questions that I ask. Delaying, changing the topic, or giving a wrong answer shall result in a punishment."

Nate knew that the woman in front of him was professional, but he tried it one more time.

"Ooo, kinky are we. I shall gladly take any puni…"

His face was whacked again mercilessly by the same object, however, this time it was struck the other side.

This time, he decided to keep his ideas of escaping to himself. He was sure that he had lost a few teeth. He checked his lips by his tongue and found out that it was split badly, the blood was flowing easily. This gave him something that could be used in the court- downright police brutality.

"Y-you can't do this to m-me! I-I a-am an American citizen! This-s is police-e br-brutality!" His statement, to his horror was coming out in parts and broken pieces- the damage was much more than he thought. The pain was immense, but he had grown somewhat immune to it, thanks to the various beatings that he used to receive.

"However said that I am with the police, Mr. Haskell?"

That statement shocked him to the core.

"I assure you Mr. Haskell, if you want to leave this area alive, you must answer all the questions that I ask you with the correct answers. Any attempt to deceive us shall be immediate dealt with. And believe me when I say, I can instantly detect a lie."

Nate relaxed after that. "So, you need information, huh? Why should I even give it to you, seeing that you are going to kill me anyway?"

He heard a sigh and a tremendous pain at the back of his head. Everything went to black instantly.

* * *

What seemed like hours to him, he awoke. This time however, he was forced to squint as his blindfold was taken off. He was sitting in the same chair, but this time his hands were tied by straps to the armrests. In fact, his whole body was secured by straps. The straps were linked with the chair, which was made from steel. He tried moving, but was unable to do so. The room was completely white, similar to the interrogation rooms that he had seen in the movies. A table was set up in front of him, and had a rather large variety of tools. The very sight of them made him squirm. He had loved to inflict torture on his victims, both physical and mental; but never was on the receiving side.

A person- a male came into his vision. He was of average height, and was dressed completely in black. He had long golden hair that was tied in a ponytail. And the strangest thing about him was that he had golden eyes- a rare sight. He walked over to the table and picked up the pliers. He stood there for a while, as if contemplating his next move.

"You see, pissing Riza off is the worst thing you can ever do. She had thought about taking it easy on you, but you had to go and anger her. Now, rest assured; the remainder of your time here shall be hell."

With that, he moved towards him, the pliers in hand. He clamped it on his right thumb and tightened his hold on the pliers. Nate watched on, too scared to say anything.

"You see, I like to start with the nails. Easy to remove, cause a great deal of pain, and they grow back too! And don't worry, the adrenaline that shot that I had given you earlier shall ensure that you won't fall asleep."

"Wait! You haven't asked me anything yet!"

"That is a valid point. However, I shoot first ask questions later. It's simpler, no?"

With that, he clamped down hard on the pliers and pulled.

A few minutes later, Nate was almost begging for death, the man in front of him had removed all of his nails, without remorse. He had pleaded with him to stop, but his pleas had fallen on deaf ears. It was similar to the times when he used to torture his victims. However, what frightened him more was the fact that the man was pulling out a drill and had positioned it above his finger, right where his nail should have been. Shocked to core, and not wanting to deal with anymore pain, he whimpered once more.

"N-no! Please! I shall tell you anything you want! J-just don't hurt me!"

"Aww, what's the fun in that? Come on, I know that you can do better than this." His tone was smug and his expression cocky.

"Please d-don't! I shall tell you everything you want to know!"

"Oookay. I'll bite. So, here we go. Did you start the Hydra infection in Miami?"

Nate was shocked. He though that he was not under surveillance while he completed the job that he had received from his mysterious clients. He hesitated in answering, which cost him dearly. The drill activated and carved a neat hole through his nail bed.

After a few minutes, after his panting and screams had died down, the person asked again.

"Were you responsible for the Hydra infection in Miami?"

"Y-yes..."

"Good. Who gave you the sample, and who told you to start it. Or was it because you wanted to?"

"I was g-given a job to do so…"

"Who were the employers?"

Nate dreaded giving the answer."I d-don't know…" It was the truth, but the man in front of him didn't know that. As expected, the drill carved another hole in another nail bed.

"I-I am telling the truth! I was contacted by phone and given a vial o-of the virus through the mail. I was said that a million dollars would be transferred to my account after I had injected it into someone, without causing suspicion. That's all I swear!"

"Yeah, and I totally believe you." It was followed by another hole. His screams went for an extra minute this time, signifying that he was under immense agony.

"That's all I s-swear! And they just gave me a ticket to Cuba and a new passport! That's all I know about that."

Edward rose from his position, believing that he had got all the facts this time. Nate looked relieved at that, and managed a small smile.

"Now that I have answered your questions, can I leave?"

"Are you nuts? Who said that?"

The smile and the color that had was on his face quickly drained, and was replaced by a look of utter terror as he heard the sound of a round being chambered. The next thing that Nate knew that he was staring down the barrel of a gun. There was a sound of a gunshot, and then it was all over.

* * *

If anyone said that Winry was acting highly nervous, they would be making a gross understatement. Not only she was highly confused, but she also felt insecure. Having some terrorists after her life wasn't beneficial to her health. Some of her colleagues were murdered, her boyfriend of two years had tried to kill her, and there was an immense Hydra viral epidemic which had started promptly the day after the attack on the Lotus. The infection was spreading in the major cites of the world, causing the world population to drop like flies. Thanks to that, she was working overtime. But however, even after attempting to bury herself in her work did not shake her nervousness off. Ever since that fateful day, she had grown extremely nervous, jumping at the slightest change in the surroundings. She always felt that sooner or later someone would come crashing through the door any second, ready to blow her brains out. Remembering of how ruthless the terrorists were, a shiver went up her spine, causing her to tighten her arms around herself. Soon, moisture developed in her eyes, which was hastily brushed away.

'Damm it, Winry! You are not a wimp! Show some backbone!'

However, her mental thoughts failed to have even a minor effect on her, and soon new tears were already forming.

"Hey…..are you all right?" a kind and caring voice snapped her out of her ordeal.

She snapped her head around to meet the golden eyes of Edward. Just the sight of him, ready to protect her from any harm snapped whatever restraint she had and she just flew into his arms; tears flowing freely. Edward was surprised at first but then managed a sad smile. He wrapped his arms around her, giving the very comfort she needed.

As Winry hugged him more tightly, she felt something which she had not felt in a long time.

She felt safe.

* * *

**First of all, I am sorry for updating late. I had just started my collage, and had a bad case of writer's block. :P**

**So, I decided to 'borrow' a villain from the latest season of CSI. Do not ask me why, I just felt like it. Some bad guy needed to die here. :P **

**There wasn't much in this chap, except for how Edward can be a 'bit' unforgiving while torturing the hell outta people. So, most of the BS is out of the way, and the one of the main 'arc' in the plot shall start in the next chapter. This 'arc' shall encompass some 3-4 chapters, maybe more. There shall be similar more arc's later. **

**And if you still didnt get it, I gave information about Ed's automail on the top of the chapter. Made it up somehow :P :D In case you want me to further elaborate it, message me. **

**Thanks for all the reviews! **

**Rant, flame, criticize, praise, etc do whatever you want, just drop a line. ( through a review. ) **

**Later :D **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Cold flames- I **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own FMA. However, I own this plot. **

_'Italics'_= radio chatter/ audio file

* * *

Audio file: GP-A1

Dated : 03/15/2010

"_Good Morning, Mr. Grumman. You had informed my staff that this was a very urgent matter and required my immediate attention?"_

"_Good morning to you too, Mr. President. Indeed it is an important matter, but first of all I want to congratulate you for your appointment as the president of USA…"_

"_I hardly think that you called this meeting just for congratulating me, Mr. Grumman. Time is not my friend at this juncture, and there are many more matters that require my attention."_

"_That is acceptable. I won't beat around the bush then; and will get straight to the point. I have come here, to inform you just I have informed your predecessor, about a certain organization that very few people know."_

"_What do you mean by a very few people? And which organization are you talking about?"_

"_Just after the World War 1, just as the League of Nations was founded for prevention of another World war and other things like that, our organization was also founded. However, our founding was not made public; it was kept in the dark. We had the same goal, which was to prevent war and ensure the safety of humanity. We had very few members at that time, although the number of contributing nations grew in time." _

"_If you were established after World War 1, why didn't you prevent the second war?"_

"_Procedures. We were not taken seriously at that time. Most of the attention was given to the league, and along with it majority of the funding. People did not want more bloodshed." _

"_But….?"_

"_You know what happened later. War came nevertheless, and our sister organization fell. Only after that, we were given the attention that we deserved. The organization continued throughout the Cold war, Desert Storm, and any other major conflict that took place. We did our best to prevent it going out of hand, and minimized human losses."_

"_What is this organization exactly?"_

"_It is a highly secret organization, and no one outside it has the full picture. Except for the leaders of the country that contribute to the organization. We act in the shadows, do whatever we can to avert terrorism. And we maintain our secrecy; and that is the precise reason why our organization has survived till now."_

"_But how did you manage to keep such a huge secret till now? Someone must have tried to tell the truth."_

"_Legally, we don't exist. And your Social secrets act prevents you and other such people from spilling the beans. However if someone decided to talk nonetheless, we find ways to shut him up."_

"…"

"_It's not that we are completely hidden from the world. Our funding is not much, or someone would have poked his head in. So, we do some jobs in the side. We also operate as a mercenary organization, to keep up appearances. Don't worry about that either, we only take jobs that help our objectives."_

"_Earlier, you meant to say that whoever spoke of your organization….. You k-killed them?"_

"_We won't kill a person unless he is plotting for terror. That's our second rule."_

"_You still didn't answer my question!"_

"_The answer to your question is yes."_

"_You can't simply kill a president just because he tried to blab your secrets!"_

"_Why Mr. President, we already have."_

* * *

"Where's Jackson?" Winry asked, as she saw half of an unfamiliar face which came to pick her up. Ever since the viral outbreak, Edward had always accompanied her under disguise, as her new 'minion' as she loved to put it; it was sort of infuriating and assuring at the same time. However he had told her that he had another mission that was sort of related to this one and he had to do it. That was why he had sent his best friend, Riza. She only knew her first name, and the fact that Edward trusted her a lot.

"He has something that required his urgent attention. He also reminded me that I guide you to him as soon as possible." She simply told her as she began moving towards a vehicle. Winry had to jog to keep her pace.

"Why does he need me?"

"To be frank, I really don't know." Riza simply muttered as she fiddled with the door of her car.

"But, you should have some idea at least?"

Riza's face developed a small smile. Edward had warned her that she will try to juice every bit of information that she held. The concern in her voice could be easily seen, something that was rare. Usually people that had protective details around them, used to be a step short of a nervous breakdown and hardly seemed to care for anything else. The concept of death was frightening, and Riza knew it herself. But Winry had somehow taken it up as a challenge and had put on a brave front. She tried to cleverly disguise it, but she would tend to slip up every now and then. In the end, she had begun to ask such incessant questions to alleviate her sense of fear.

"I do. He also told me to remind you that it would be much easier for us to reach the location if you were to skip the twenty questions."

Her shocked expression which later melted into a gentle smiling one was deemed a sufficient answer.

* * *

Edward sat at the back of the truck, going over the floor plans of the building again. The new intel was too good, it gave the exact location of their target, but the main problem was getting to him. The crime organization that their target worked for protected him as if he was God's Right hand itself. He was thankful that they didn't have to go after the leader of the Triads.

But going after the leader's second in command was just as difficult. The target was simply known as 'The ball'. Even though he went by a funny name, his mode of operation was not at all humorous. The reason why he got his nickname was unknown but it was assumed because he was bald.

Planning an assault on a Triad stronghold during broad daylight was highly risky. They also had to keep this under the wraps because a few of the local cops were dirty and they didn't them warning the Triad beforehand. He would be going himself with just another person, although Riza was going to there for backup; if needed. And he was a hundred percent sure that they wouldn't need her. She would be their- more precisely his eyes, guiding him through the building and warning him of any incoming danger. The person going along with him was Jean Havoc, a former Navy SEAL and a good ol' son of a bitch. He was somewhat trigger happy, which led to his discharge from the SEALs. However, that was just the cover story. He was recruited into the organization the moment he left the navy, who found his skills in the battlefield useful. His poweress with the shotgun was unmatched, and was a great shot with handguns as well. However he had a habit of jumping the gun, and hated sitting still. In short he was a complete opposite of any stealth operative; which was perfect for this mission.

He finally looked up from the plans and headed over to the table where his weapons were kept. His usual Mp7s were there, in their holsters. Since this was supposed to be an assault and the risk level was moderate, he had decided to take an assault rifle too. This was an urban environment and the places where the fighting would take place would be cramped. He would need a flexible weapon to fight effectively, and that was why he had brought the XM8 rifle. The XM8 was initially gave poor performances in its field tests and in its competitions with other guns, which led to the decision of it being disbanded and labeled as a useless weapon. That was the official story. Actually it was observed that the weapon performed too well; it was a weapon that would be devastating in the right hands. Weighing a mere three and a half kilos, the rifle provided higher mobility and reliability. Its unique firing system kept the jams to a minimum. The gas operated weapon was capable of firing a mind boggling 750 rounds per minute, if it were given the chance. But he knew that he wouldn't need anything more than 200. He picked up the rifle, testing its weight and adjusting its sights. When he was satisfied with the results he got, he picked up the magazines for the rifle and stored them all in pocket of his combat vest. Then, he did the same for his side arm and his favorite weapons. His sidearm went on his right thigh; his rifle was attached to a harness on his back. A few throwing knives were hidden here and there, so were a few grenades. He sincerely hoped that he wouldn't have to use them; those were dangerous things.

"Are you done?" A slightly gruff voice came from his partner, who seemed ready for action.

"It does seem like it. Do you want to wait for Riza?"

"It's your call. You have the command during operations."

"Then let's move out in a while."

* * *

A few minutes later, both of them were pressed against the entrance to the building. It was nighttime, and their dark clothing made it easier to blend in. They had already put a breaching charge on the door and Riza was waiting to cut the power on his go. Edward gave a silent countdown with his fingers and whispered a _'Go'_ when the amount reached zero.

A small explosion rocked the building as its side door was blasted open by an explosive. The thugs inside jumped at that sudden disturbance, and reached for their guns. There were 5 people in the lobby; Edward simply aimed down the sights and took them down in quick succession. The other two tried to retaliated, but they were taken down by Havoc's shotgun. The light went out a second later.

'_Go green.' _

It was a simple command, but the world which was shrouded in blackness for the two agents turned into an eerie green, as they switched their night vision visors into place. Edward took confident steps ahead, taking care to check his sides. Thankfully, one of their scientists had made a record breaking research into the fiber optics field and had come with a ground breaking piece of software. A traditional night vision goggle was like wearing binoculars. The person could only see things that were in front of him, nothing on his sides. The new visors that Edward and Havoc were removed that drawback, and made night ops easier. Both sweeped the room with their guns, it was clear. Sounds of confusion and terror were coming from the hallways ahead, along with the rare shot being fired by the ones who were scared. Keeping his poker face on, Edward moved forward, into the next room, closely followed by Havoc. Riza kept on giving him info through his earpiece, forewarning him about the danger ahead.

He did not kick down the door. He walked into the room, and noted that many of the triad thugs were still struggling with their guns. He switched his rifle's firing mode into single shot, and started to take each person down. They were given the shock of their lives as muzzle fire erupted between them and started to shoot in random directions. Edward and Havoc had both ducked, anticipating this move. From their crouched position, it was easier to take them out.

'_Edward they are going to start their backup generator. Remove your night vision.'_

'_Got it.'_

Another room later, the lights came back on, which forced them to remove the visors. Their progress from there was hampered. Earlier they were able to simply waltz into rooms and were able to tear them apart as if it was nothing. Now, their black combat suits made them stand out in the surroundings. And in response, the goons simply started firing before they could even peek into the next room. However, the next room was huge; it served as a sort of a main office where most of the people would work or gather. This time it was filled with the bulk of the triads as they tried to impede their progress. Havoc tried to get a small peek but the wall behind which he was hiding was instantly bombarded with multiple bullets. He gave a huff of annoyance and threw a flashbang inside the hall.

The instant they heard the flash, they both rushed into the hall. As per the blueprints, this hall led off to the upper floor, where their target was there. However, it also led off to what was dubbed the barracks, which was where the majority of the thugs were. It was decided that Havoc would head off to the barracks while Ed would secure the target. But the problem was not the goons; the problem was the random bullet that could hurt them. Any person enlisted in the armed forces was taught to fire while aiming down the sights, as it gave highly improved accuracy and stability. However most of the gangs were 90% of people who have more brawn than brain. They were also adrenaline junkies who usually thought that the gun that shoots more, kills more. In addition to this, they always used to fire guns from their hips; for ease. This way, the chance of getting hit directly was very less, but getting hit by a random bullet or a rebound was high.

That was precisely the reason the both of them were taking cover. Havoc was firing in short bursts, his AA-12 shotgun, causing havoc within the opponents. The blasts were so powerful that they were literally tearing holes through their bodies. Edward was alternating between firing a single shot and a concentrated burst. By this time the triad members were laughing and openly taunting them, hoping to get a reaction out of them. Edward simply waited for them to reload, then left the pillar he was hiding behind and let out a full stream of devastating machine gun fire. Most of the thugs had poor reaction times and were cut into shreds. The lucky ones, who did take cover, were killed by Havoc as they tried to rise and take a peek. The tables that they were hiding behind were made of ordinary wood, which gave very less protection against a shotgun blast. Then as Havoc reloaded; Edward took potshots at the ones who tried to take a peek. In this way; in the end the Triad members were dead and Edward and Havoc had done it by simply standing in the room.

'_Heading over to the command center, Havoc; take care of the clean-up'_

'_Will do.'_ A simple yes and no was enough for most people who were in this business and Havoc was no exception.

Edward hefted his rifle and went on to the next room. They had made a lot of noise earlier, but still he controlled his breathing and kept his footsteps silent. It was always best to keep your opponent in the dark about your motives. The door that was in front of was open, as a few goons had entered through it to join the earlier fight. As he entered the room, his 'danger sense' went off, making him jump back in surprise. Just then a sword cut through his rifle, as if it were a simple sheet of paper. He thanked his stars, because that was the spot where he was standing a moment ago. Unlike other weapons, his rifle was made up of a complex polymer, highly reducing its weight.

However the person who had the sword in his hand did not stop to gloat, he instead chose to attack; giving a battle roar in the process. There wasn't enough room in the corridor for him to dodge successfully, so Edward chose to tackle him into the room. As their combined masses hit the ground, he quickly let lose a vicious blow with his right hand that quickly knocked his opponent out. Not wanting to stay in one place for long in a hostile area, he jumped to his feet, only to see more people brandishing swords at him. All were dressed in suits, and had a higher amount of facial tattoos; which meant that they were the higher level of thieves. Edward managed a smirk, and activated his nanotech blade.

It was the first time they had seen something akin to that piece of technological marvel. The blade glowed a deep blue, and practically oozed power. Most of the Triad members were staring shamelessly at the blade while a few were openly drooling. But, their lapse in concentration cost them dearly as the nearest person was neatly impaled through his ribs while other was neatly cut in half. The four goons that were left managed to regain their senses, but not before he was on one of them. That person raised his sword in a weak attempt to defend himself, but the nanotech blade cut through metal as easily as it cut through flesh.

Even though they were the upper brass of the Triad, their swordsmanship skills were amateurish at best. The nearest person tried a series of slashes, only to have his sword cut in half in one moment. Edward then swung neatly on his front heel and gave a devastating kink to his neck, which was sure to handicap him for life, if he didn't die. The last two decided that enough was enough and the surrendered without a fight.

After that, it took Edward only a few moments to finish his objective and to inform Havoc and Riza. They left the building a moment later. Within the fifth minute, the structure exploded.

* * *

"All right. Edward, Winry, I'll try to keep this short. The information extracted from the target yesterday was a great help. Roy is for once, happy."

A growl was enough to remind her to move on. Apparently Edward still hated that guy, due to reasons unknown.

"However, we still don't know who or which organization was responsible for the outbreak. The virus is still causing havoc out there and it has been a drain on the economy of all countries to provide vaccinations." Riza stopped her speech to get a sip of water. Edward was paying rapt attention, while Winry was fidgeting in her seat, waiting for her to continue.

"This led to this decision. Winry, it's up to you to use your knowledge to help us mass produce 'Perseus'. Uroboros is still handing out the Hercules vaccine, and that is costly. We ne-"

"Excuse me, but how can you expect me to simply help you mass produce this vaccine straight out of the blue?"

"It's your vaccine. You created it, right?"

"Yes, but you asked for it to be mass-produced. That simply cannot happen." Winry's tone was akin to a professor explaining a theory to his students.

"Explain."

"The only thing that could mass produce those vaccines is the Linear Molecular Constructor! And even if you have one of those, you still need the schematics of the vaccines!"

Edward chose that moment to make his opinion known."Excuse me, but what is that Linear Molecular Constructor-thingy that you just said?"

Winry gave a sigh of exasperation."To cut a long story short, it is a device which allows for rapid construction of any molecular compound. You just have to enter its schematic and it does the rest."

"So…..where is that thing? Let's just go over there."

"There is only one LMC in the world right now, and it is at the Uroboros's Russian facility. And I doubt that they would allow the mass production of a vaccine at such a short notice."

Riza chose that moment to cut in,"That's not true. Despite what you think, there are other LMC's."

"Huh? Uroboros constructed only two of them. 1 was given to US military, but it was destroyed in a raid by a terrorist act."

"As I said, that is what you think."

Winry's eyes widened considerably. "Are you suggesting…"

Riza just managed a small smile in return.

"But even if you have another LMC, you still need the schematics!"

"Well then...it would seem that we shall have to pack for a cold country, eh?"

* * *

Before anything, thanks for reviewing and sticking with me ! :D

And now, Don't kill me! XP

I am sorry for reviewing late! XP So sorry! No excuses! Parley? Please?

This chapter was going to have another torture sequence, some more fist fighting, and a friendly paintball fight. But that would have taken the length upto 12 k or something, so I decided to add it later! :D

As I said, this chap marks the start of an arc. There shall be more arc later. This one is currently 'Cold Flames' ( Name taken from FMAB anime episode 17) Like a tribute, or something. Don't bug me if I got the name wrong. This arc shall go on for another 3-4 chaps...

The audio file was Grumman meeting the President of USA and informing him about the Organisation. Nothing much. And In case if you are bothered about the fact that they may have killed any President or a leader, think again ( It may be a bluff or it may not be one . :D )

The raid/ assault thing just popped in. :D And I don't want anyone peeved at me for choosing triads. I did a random pick. And this is fiction. Remember that.

Before someone asks, I am NOT a gun nerd. It is just the effect of searching wikipedia and picking the gun which looks the coolest. :D

The XM8 rifle is real, although it was disallowed later on. ( As written on wikipedia. Official story. We don't know the unofficial one. ) :D

The Linear Molecular Constructor is something I made up. Its mine! XD It shall be explained in detail further on.

Those who are anxious for EdWin romance, have faith! It will start slowly, by next chapter! :) And I cant also jump start it you know, it would suck.

Thanks to you all for sticking with me all this time!

Review, flame, criticize. Drop a line.

Later...

And yes, this was intended as a New Year Gift. :D Happy New year !


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 6: Cold Flames-II**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA. I just own this plot though . Copy it without my permission and Riza will snipe you.**

**There is a small graphic scene at the start. Skip it if you don't like it.**

* * *

The sounds of a high caliber rifle rang out in the shooting range. The shot hit the painted human target, although it 'hit' the right eye. Riza grimaced. She had aimed a bit above the nose, so that the target had missed by almost 1 inch. A small error, considering that the 'target' was almost one and a half mile away, but that same mistake could compound itself when the target was even further. And that was precisely the error she wanted to avoid. Such errors were common, even within the best of snipers. But not for her. She was Riza Hawkeye. She was 'The' Sniper. The only sniper that had achieved great; if not impossible shots. No one was even able to hold a candle to her accomplishments. Hell, no one was even capable of coming even a bit close to her track record.

She pulled the bolt back on her rifle and watched the .50 caliber bullet or shell fall down. Her eyes, enlarged by the scope squinted to find the target. This time she selected the right eye. The scope was high powered, similar to her rifle. She arranged the 'eye' down her sight. Calculated the distance, wind force and the gravitational force. She made the adjustments. Finally she counted off the seconds and calmed her breathing.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

And she pulled the trigger. This time, the target had a neat hole at her intended target.

"Sweeeeeeeet! Now If I got a grand every time you did something like that, I would be the richest man alive!"

Riza almost gave out a sigh. Her spotter always managed to pop out and surprise her at any time; something which annoyed her to no end.

"Do you want something Smith?

"Oh, I want a lot of things. Money, gum, beer, cola, women, you….." He trailed off with a grin.

"And I'm supposed to find that interesting?"

"Hardly."

"Anyways, do seriously have something to say? If you do, speak up. Otherwise, you can be an excellent target for my next shot."

Frank gave out a small chuckle, before speaking in a serious tone."We got another black bag op. Someone up in the DOD wants us to cover up a deal which they figure con go bad the moment the other party gets the money. And once again the deal is taking place in places where the army and other forces are not allowed to frolic. So we will mostly be providing sniper support while they get back home safely.

"Expected opposition?"

"Common brainless grunts who can't shoot better than drunks, some who can, armored convoy; not much. Air support is not expected. "

Riza simply gave a nod of approval and squeezed off another shot which took a neat portion of the paper target's head with it.

* * *

"Any targets?"

Frank scanned the expanse of the empty road which was somewhat far off through his viewfinder. Riza did the same through the scope of her Savage 110 BA sniper rifle, only to reach the same conclusion. They had been in the same position for 3 hours, dressed in ghilley suits, blending in the environment. Neither of them complained, for they had endured worse than this.

"Contact west!"

Frank's sudden call caused her to instantly shift her rifle in that direction. It was a small convoy, and was being led by an armored Humvee. She singled out her target, adjusting her scope so that her shot would take out the driver, which in turn would stop the convoy and eliminate it entirely, if the need may arise.

"Friendly, I repeat they are friendly. Do not fire."

Riza let out the breath she was holding in. There was no radio contact, except with the HQ, and that too was for a mere 1 minute after an interval of one hour. This was a black op, and they intended to keep it that way.

The deal went perfectly. There were no problems, but the shooting started as soon as the DOD personnel were in their cars and tried to start them up. The Humvee that was in the front was instantly torn up beyond recognition as it took the full brunt of that attack. The remaining personnel wasted no more time in gunning their vehicles, and leading them out of that location. They were instantly given chase by the enemies, who had more than 10 vehicles.

"Fire at will! I repeat! Fire at will! Targets are wearing red fatigues and are in combat jeeps!"

That was all that Riza needed, and she started squeezing off shots one after another. Her rifle was not silenced, and its shots were quite loud. The first shot literally blew the head of the lead jeep's driver, which caused to skid on the road and come to a halt, thankfully blocking the road. This meant both good and bad news. Good news was that the DOD personnel would be able to escape, and the bad news was that the enemy would attack them now. Spotting a sniper's nest from 2 miles away was never easy, but everyone would get lucky now and then. The grunts stopped their vehicles, and began firing blindly on the hill where they figured she was hiding. A few used the mounted guns on the combat jeeps while some used mortar shells to bombard the hill.

"Command this is Nest. We are facing heavy opposition, way above the expected amount! We request urgent evac!"

No answer.

Frank repeated the same message; however he didn't even receive an answer. Even the usual static was absent. That sent a cold chill down his spine.

They were left to fend for themselves. Command had abandoned them.

Riza however, was calm as a cucumber. She squeezed off shot after shot, never even once missing her mark. It was then when a vicious assault chopper made is presence known. It was then when Riza realized how fucked up their situation was.

The chopper instantly pinpointed their location, and unleashed hell with the dual miniguns that were attached to its sides. Riza abandoned her rifle and tried to cover herself pathetically on the flat ground; Frank did the same beside her. Miraculously, they both survived, and the chopped peeled off. Both knew that they were literally on death's door, and if they wanted to survive, they needed to take the chopper down. Frank opened fire with his assault rifle, while Riza reached for her rifle, only to find that it was destroyed by the minigun barrage. She gave out a string of curses, and reached for her other rifle, which ; incidentally was perfect of taking down the chopper. A Barret M98B anti material rifle. Riza chambered a round, switched off the safety, and aimed for the chopper's main rotor. It was well known that a well placed shot was sometimes able to down a chopper; and that was precisely the thing that Riza wanted to accomplish. However, the downside was that if she missed, she would waste pervious time; as the recoil from the rifle was enormous. She tried to calm her breathing as she counted off the seconds in her head.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

She fired….and missed.

'Fuck!'

The chopper pilot understood that the sniper was trying to take potshots at him so he went for a strafing run. Riza ducked in time. However, Frank wasn't lucky. A couple of shots caught him in the chest, which tore his right arm away from his body, bone fragments entering an already punctured and collapsed lung; sealing his fate. Riza watched on in horror as Frank fell to the ground in slow motion. His handsome face had a look of horror on it, which melted into resignation. Blood painted his right side which resembled a mixture of mashed potato and mangled meat. It took a few seconds for Riza to realize that she was screaming.

Rage flooded her. It overpowered her senses and overloaded her body with adrenaline. The 7 kilo rifle felt weightless. The 1 second interval between her shots became half. Shot after shot hammered into the helicopter, tearing chunks of its metal armor. Finally a bullet blasted its main rotor off; for a helicopter, it was as if a puppet whose strings were cut off. The chopper dropped, and was reduced into a burning pile of twisted metal a second later as it crashed and exploded.

Riza didn't even blink or give a mental whoop. She instantly moved to her partner's side and tried to render aid. However she knew that it was impossible. But her mind wouldn't let her accept it. Frank was her partner, her spotter, her good friend and her future romantic interest! It wasn't supposed to end this way!

"D-damm…"He managed to cough out" I'm pr-pretty messed u-up ain't I?"

"No you aren't! Keep your shit together Frank. I'm gonna get you out of here."

He gave out what seemed to be a cross between a hacking cough and a chuckle. "You know Riza, y-you were never g-good at ly-lying…."

She tried very hard to her tears from leaking out. She failed; again.

Frank seemed to sense her sorrow and brought his left arm up to caress her face."Huh. And I though you could never c-cry."

"Dammit Frank, stop joking about this!"

"I'm sorry Riza….It seems that I won't be able to t-take you out on that date after all."

Despite the situation, Riza managed to smile, although a chocked sob instantly accompanied it.

"Do me a fa-favor will ya? Ju-just don't get caught."

As the light faded from his eyes, she gave out a scream. Despite the situation she was in; she simply edged towards his body and cradled his head in her lap. She was so lost within her grief that she failed to notice that the enemy grunts had surrounded her.

* * *

Pain and regret. Those were the only things that were coursing through her body. Pain because the grunts had made it clear enough that they wanted to inflict as much as pain before her body and mind broke down from the sheer amount of pain that it went through. It was a miracle that she wasn't raped yet. Regret because she didn't escape. Frank's sacrifice was in vain. She felt that she let him down. No, she knew that she had let him down.

Riza stirred from her prone position. The room was filthy, and stank of blood, urine and waste. Her military fatigues were taken away forcibly. She thanked the stars that they had allowed her undergarments to remain. But she doubted that it would stay that way. Her face was already sore and swollen; she wouldn't be surprised if one side was already black and blue. Ugly gashes were on her back, where they had whipped her. All she could do was wait for the next beating and hold out as long as she could. She would die here, alone and broken.

The door opened, and 2 males came in. Both had evil grins on their faces; and they eyed her with a hungry look in their eyes. Riza weakly gave out a small cry of protest before she was backhanded into the wall. Her remaining dignity was stolen from her as they ripped off her bra and roughly groped her They weren't here to interrogate her, they were here to ensure that she wouldn't protest when the others did. They were here to break her. Riza could only whimper as they laughed at her predicament and belittled her in their own heavily accented version of English.

However, a foreign voice; a dull thud came from the door that was attached to the room. The grunts barely registered it; however Riza picked it up. It meant that something was wrong. She prayed, she begged that it was someone to rescue her; for one of her would-be-rapists was going for her last remaining undergarment while the other was unzipping his own pants. She gave out a whimper again; something which was so unbecoming of her, only to get a vicious punch to her face.

Stars swam in her field of vision, and everything went blurry. She barely registered the sound of her last item of clothing being ripped away. The bastard who was going to penetrate her was sporting a lecherous grin; she hated it.

Just then, the door was blasted off its hinges. Both of her torturers whirled, reaching for their side arms, only to realize that they had left it in the adjoining room. A person- a man steeped in the room, a handgun in his arm; pointed towards the threat. A small voice; similar to a cough emitted from the gun, which she deduced that a silencer was attached and that bullet caught the person which was on the top of her in the skull, blowing away half of his brain. The other grunt saw that he had no chance at all and raised his arms in a weak show of surrender. Her savior was clad in a black combat suit, he had long golden hair that was tired in a ponytail; although his eyes were bright golden, something which instantly caught Riza's attention. His golden eyes instantly zeroed in on her, and grew wide in rage at her pitiful state. A growl came out from his throat and he instantly whirled on the remaining offender.

"I am just following orders." He said, in a weak attempt to delay his inevitable fate.

Her rescuer simply aimed for his head and squeezed off another shot.

"So am I."

* * *

Riza awoke with a start, completely drenched in sweat. That was the day when she lost her good friend, and was almost killed. That was also the day when she met or was rescued by Edward. When they were a good distance away from the enemy base, he asked her to look at the base and then put a remote; a detonator in her hand, something that she was grateful for. She witnessed the explosion with a smile, revenge was sweet. He wanted to get her back to his headquarters, but she was in no condition to follow him. So Edward simply found them a small shelter and nursed her back to health. During that time, she was in a bitter mood; she raved and ranted, she simply unloaded all of her anger and misery on Edward. She was stupid at that time. She knew that he rescued her from the enemy, she was supposed to thank him, not curse him and call him worthless. To her surprise Edward simply bore it all with a smile and continued to look after her. That was the main reason why she was so taken with him, why she always stuck with him through thick and thin.

Cursing, she swept her hair out of her drenched face. At such times she wished that Edward was here to make her forget. For some reason, he understood her problems and was always there for her. But for now, he was with that Rockbell woman. For some reason, she felt a pang of jealousy at the thought of her. Instantly, she shook her head; as if trying to dispel that very thought. The last thing she wanted was to disappoint Edward. She made her way to her fridge and removed an ice cold beer. With that in her hand, she opened her laptop and checked her email and searched for any new ones; even though she had done the same thing a couple of hours back. To her surprise, there was a new email, with no return address and it was highly encrypted.

Hey Hawk,

It's Becca. I think that I may have a lead on the one who screwed you up and left you for dead a couple of years back. I currently on it though, and will forward you any new info as it comes.

Take care.

Riza simply raised an eyebrow and smiled.

* * *

Winry watched from the side of the pool as Edward completed his laps as a part of his daily exercise. They were leaving for Russia in the evening and Edward had asked her to wait for him at the side of the pool as he completed his exercise. Winry was a bit hesitant to go all the way to Russia for the vaccine sample. Both Edward and Riza and not elaborated why they needed the schematic for a vaccine which could be manufactured only from Russia, as that facility housed the only machine that was capable of mass producing it. As far she knew, the Linear Molecular Constructor was the only machine until now which did produce it without hassle. Otherwise, it required 4 weeks of bio-molecular culture to simply produce it enough for 20 people. Thankfully the viral outbreak was somewhat contained in the world, and Uroboros had made a huge profit out of that. The chances of future outbreaks were many, and she wanted to stop it. That was the only thing that kept her going.

"Hey Edward! Are you done yet?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm done. And stop calling me Edward. Keep it simple ok? Just Ed, alright? Sheesh…" He pulled himself out of the pool and started wiping himself down. Since he was too lazy to wear a cap while swimming, his hair was always a bother afterwards. For that reason, he always used to do that last. While he continued to dry himself, he noticed Winry staring at him.

"What?"

At the sound of his voice, Winry shook herself out her daze and mumbled a curse. _'Dammit! HesawmestaringHesawme…..'_

By this time, Edward had walked literally into her face. "Are you all right?"

Winry whipped her head around so fast that Edward was sure that she had pulled a muscle. Seeing how close he was she blushed crimson and gave out a girly squeak. Realizing her mistake, she tried to cover it up, hoping that Edward didn't notice.

But Edward wasn't called a one man army and an insufferable know it all for nothing. He immediately picked it up and smirked as if he had won a big award.

"Are you blushing?"

Unintentionally, Winry took a step backward; similarly Edward took one forward.

"N-no"

"Like what you see?"

"I d-don't know what you are talking about."

Winry continued going backwards and Edward kept closing the distance between them.

"Come on Win, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what I meant."

"Win? Since when did I become Win?"

"Since now. And don't try to change the subject, were you checking me out?"

Unknowing to her, Winry had backed up to the wall. She realized a tad late, because by that time, Edward closed the distance between them. She tried to get away by edging to the side but one of Ed's arms blocked that escape path. The other path was blocked instantly after that. Seeing that she was trapped, she had no choice other than staring into his hypnotizing gold eyes.

"And what if I was?"

"So what is the verdict? a positive one, I hope?"

All this time, Edward was edging his face forward. unknown to Winry, she was doing the same.

The sound of a throat getting cleared was heard by both of them. Riza was a good 7 feet behind them and was closing that distance.

"I really hate to interrupt, but we have to get going or we'll miss the flight.

* * *

"Ok, before we board our jet, there are a few things that I want to bring to your notice."

Winry simply choose to drop her bag on the ground and paid her entire attention to Edward.

"First and foremost. Keep a gun on you always."

"Eeh? What about metal detectors and other stuff like that?"

"Here is where discretion counts the most. Tell me Winry, how many times have you been through a metal detector?

"Almost all days; I have to go through a metal detector every time I go to office. Company policy."

"….ok. How many times have you been searched with a hand held metal detector?"

At first glance, the question sounded a bit odd to her. What could be the difference between the two after all?

"Almost the same" She said, after a moment of thinking.

"Let me tell you a fatal flaw about the searching by the hand held detector. They never check the cuffs or anything below they elbow. Why? Because they never expect a gun to be hidden there. Technically they are correct, but there are a few ways to go around them."

Edward showed her a gun small enough to fit inside her palm, attached to an apparatus which seemed to be spring controlled.

"This device goes around your wrist. By one simple jerk of the wrist, the gun gets pushed into your hand, primed and ready. You just have to point it and shoot. We can also put in a few larger guns to that device, but you'll have to wear a jacket to cover it."

"Wow… that's good."

"Then there shall be a few other devices that you'll be given." Edward removed a pair of goggles from his shirt pocket."For example, you'll be having one of these. These are known as 'HER' goggles."

"HER?"

"Hostile Environment Recognition. They show concealed weapons, cameras, bugs tracking devices. In combat, they are able to calculate the greatest threat on the field by observing weapons, posture and response. The inner side of the goggles has a display, kind of the one Tony Stark has in his suit's helmet."

It took Winry some time to digest the information.

"Last thing. I am here and I will be there for your protection. If something happens and if I tell you to run, hide or leave me alone or something like that, you'll have to do it. No ifs or buts over this. IF you don't, one of us will die and the other will follow shortly after."

"But I can help-"

"No."

"I can't lea-"

"You have to."

"I want to hel-"

"No. That's it. My answer is not going to change. You are not meant for fighting. Leave that part to me."

* * *

The trip to Russia was uneventful and quite. Even though Edward preferred the silent atmosphere, it did bring a sense of danger along with it. Like something bad was going to happen. The climate of Russia was cold and unforgivable as ever. The facility was situated somewhere in the northern wastelands, in some remote location to avoid any kinds of interference. Due to the highly secret and dangerous work that happened in the facility and considering the fact that the nearest human settlement was about 12 miles away; the company had set up accommodations for the personnel working in the facility. Edward was already in disguise, the jet was sent by Winry's company, and he still had to play the part of being her assistant. Even though he knew that his disguise was perfect, he still couldn't shake off the feeling that something was big was going to happen; and he would be right in the middle of it. He double checked his weapon; he could only bring his pistol, a PX4 Beretta storm. It wouldn't do much against an assault team, but the chances of the terrorists attacking a remote yet secure facility were very less. The place he had hidden his gun was absolutely hilarious.

'If Winry ever finds out about that, she would never let me hear the end of it. Wait….. Where did that thought come from?'

They were welcomed at the hangar by the section head of the facility, a Russian guy whose name Edward knew, but was too lazy to recollect. In order to ward of any suspicions, he did his part of the job, acting. His hair was black this time, and was slicked back. Fat glasses rested on his nose, and fake dentures and braces made him look as if he had buck teeth. Shaggy clothes and half hearted 'attempts' to pull Winry's suitcase completed his acting of being the perfect nerd. The Russian guy barely hid a snort of disgust from his speech, and barely acknowledged him. He was thankful for not being the center of attention, as he took that precious time to scout out his surroundings; for every step in an unknown environment could be counted as a step in a hostile environment. The head count came first. There were 3 obvious guards while there were 2 more inside the vehicles that were sent for them. As for the guards on the hangar, there was 1 at the entrance. There were more, but they were not standing around to be seen. There was a light coming from the employee's lounge and 2 shadows were visible through the window. Moreover there was another shadow which he barely made out; which brought the total number to 5 in the convoy and 4 in the hangar. Lastly, something which Edward took 5 seconds to confirm, the mechanic working on the refueling the plane was also a guard. Edward was only able to deduce this due the barely visible bulge in his jacket and the fact that he stole glances at him every now and then. Smirking, Edward started on the surveillance.

* * *

"It is as you said it would take place sir. Winry Rockbell has arrived at the Russian facility. She is on her way to it by car as we speak." A voice spoke through a small speaker that was attached to a radio.

The voice that replied to was silky and had a tone of authority to it along with a condescending nature. "Hmmm…. Shadow her, and if you get the opportunity, grab her. Or just kill her, whatever you prefer at that time."

The voice hitched."Err… forgive my apprehension sir, but it seems that we can have a problem with that sir."

A growl was audible before the silky voice came back on "Why is it so?"

"They sent the best to protect her sir. They have sent Fullmetal."

A pause. The person that heard the news was shocked; however the surprise immediately led to mirth and the person on the other side of the radio was surprised to hear that his boss was laughing. And more disturbing was the fact that the laughter had a tinge of madness to it.

"Hahaha…. This is even better than I ever imagined! Screw Rockbell! It's Elric that I want! He belonged to me and he will always belong to me! I'm sending the Sins over there to help your team. Don't forget captain. I don't care about Rockbell. I want Elric. It's time we had him back."

* * *

**Thanks for all the reviews! **

**My exams are now over, and you all could expect faster update from now on, since I've got nothing better to do. Actually Diablo 3 hasn't been launched in India yet ( for some damm reason ) so be thankful for it and enjoy the story. Damm you blizzard! **

**The story is heating up, I actually wanted to start the gunfights here, but the result did not fit well with me so I cut it off here. **

**You'll got to see Riza's past over here, something which I though t I would reveal later. I was going to tell how Edward got his arm, since I got a couple of questions for that. You'll have to wait a bit longer for that! XD MUHUAHAHAHAHA**

**As for Winry's small wrist gun, I nintially saw it in Lara Croft: The Cradle of life. I thought it would be cool to add it here. **

**I ****guess that covers it.**

**Praise, flame, Criticize, drop a line do whatever you want to do by submitting a review. **


	8. Chapter 8

I do know that you all expected an update but my entire hard disk was formatted, including my backup portable, hence all my written chapters were erased. For that I'm terribly sorry, it was because of a dumb virus and now I'm busy with other projects to keep you entertained.

I was made aware of this by a fellow author and a friend of mine. At first I was skeptical of it but when I saw that one story that I had read had been indeed deleted, I had to sign up for this. Fanfiction was created so that the fans of any series/ movie/ books may utilize their own imagination and create something new, a story that they could shape according to themselves. For many it is like a dream come true, as the series they like may not go in the direction the fan may like. For them, initially the site was nirvana. But the new procedures that the site has taken is absolutely horrendous.  
I pride myself in taking the neutral spot every time in an argument, and I shall do the same here. Fanfiction did mention about the ratings of the stories, which every story must abide. They had also mentioned that extreme violence or any sexual scenes cannot simply come under the 'M' rating. But could the authors do if they ever faced such a problem? Post his story in an adult site for just one accidental sex scene or one chapter of violence? Most authors do post warnings in the summary or the start of the chapter that it may contain some mature reading material and suggest that whoever doesn't like it or is underage to read it can/ must skip it . For example, someone has brought an expensive yet fragile device, ( for the sake of understanding lets take a mobile ) . After one day of usage the mobile phone that the person has bought slips from his hand and falls to the ground, which breaks it. Now he will complain that the mobile was fragile and will demand an replacement from the company; it is his right. BUT it is ALWAYS mentioned on the mobile's packaging box 'HANDLE WITH CARE' The warning is there. The user chose to ignore it and yet he sues the company, choosing to overlook him fault instead. The same thing is happening here. I myself and many other authors do post warnings before excessive violence or an unavoidable sex scene. We do abide by the laws and do our part. We post the warnings. It's not the author's fault that they are/ maybe ignored.  
Another horrifying fact is that the stories are instantly removed. That is wrong. Warning/ notices should be issued. You cannot simply remove a story instantly. Just thinking of a suitable plot takes a week or so, writing it down takes 10-20 times more time. An author slogs for his story, it does not deserve to be removed in the blink of an eye. If a building has been built illegally, you cant simply raze it with bulldozers the next day with sending amply notices or warnings.

This is wrong. Fanfiction does have a right to remove some stories, but their way of execution is extremely flawed. Some of the stories that they had removed were well liked. A small part of the stories they removed were clearly overstepping the boundaries, but others were not. This has to be stopped. We can't simply make something like a terminator/ resident evil story better by editing out the violence. It defeats the purpose of the story. We authors obey the rules, respect the ratings, post sufficient warnings. Yet still, we are wronged.

This must be stopped.

This isn't right and thanks to The Fifth Rider of Armageddon for giving me this address ( through his update :P ) www(dot)change(dot)org/petitions/fanfiction-net-stop-the-destruction-of-fanfiction-net

Below are the names of the authors that have joined up. Sign up for the petition on the above given address and put this alert on every fic. If all goes well, this can be stopped.

Psudocode_Samurai

Rocketman1728

dracohalo117

VFSNAKE

Agato the Venom Host

Jay Frost

SamCrow

Blood Brandy

Dusk666

Hisea Ori

The Dark Graven

BlackRevenant

Lord Orion Salazar Black

Sakusha Saelbu

Horocrux

socras01

Kumo no Makoto

Biskoff

Korraganitar the NightShadow

NightInk

Lazruth

ragnrock kyuubi

SpiritWriterXXX

Ace6151

FleeingReality

Harufu

Exiled crow

Slifer1988

Dee Laynter

Angeldoctor

Final Black Getsuga

ZamielRaizunto

Fenris187

blood enraged

arashiXnoXkami

tstoldt

Mystic 6 tailed Naruto

ElementalMaster16

Dark Vizard447

Darth Void Sage of the Force

Shiso no Kitsune

The Sinful

Kage640

Ihateheroes

swords of twilight

Kyuubi16

darthkamon

narutodragon

bunji the wolf

Cjonwalrus

Killjoy3000

blueexorist

White Whiskey

Ying the Nine Tail Fox

Gin of the wicked smile

tstoldt

The wolf god Fenri

JazzyJ09

sleepers4u

The Unknown 007

Gallantmon228

MKTerra

Gunbladez19

Forgottenkami

RHatch89

SoulKingonCrack

Dreadman75

Knives91

The Lemon Sage

Dark Spidey

VioletTragedies

Eon The Cat of Shadows

kazikamikaze24

animegamemaster6

LLOYDROCKS

demented-squirrel

swords of dawn

The Immoral Flame

blueexorist

Challenger

Shywhitefox

drp83

Bethrezen

Dragon6

bellxross

unweymexicano

The First Kitsukage

kingdom219

brown phantom

littleking9512

kurokamiDG

Auumaan

FrancineBlossom

BDG420

Her Dark Poet

bloodrosepsycho

Shen an Calhar

NarutoMasterSage4040

Masamune X23

Kuromoki

Sliver Lynx

devilzxknight86

Unis Crimson

Zero X Limit

SinX. Retribution

reven228

JAKdaRIPPER

Third Fang

IRAssault

Grumpywinter

absolutezero001

Single Silver Eye

animekingmike

Daniel Lynx

zerohour20xx

arturus

Silvdra-Zero

TheOtaku Akatsuki

Michael the Archangel

YoukoTaichou

Leonineus

Aragon Potter

Kur0Kishi

Aznpuffyhair

viscious aggression 101

IsealShisarakage

Uzunaru999

Dark-Knight

fearme80

Devilsummoner666

slicerness

Toa Naruto

Soleneus

kagedoragon

dansama92

KamenRiderNexus

Captive Crimson

KyuubiiLover27

MozillaEverer

4rm36uy

ebm6969

Repiece

phantomshadowdragon

Colonel Eagle

Timothy1988

ShadowZenith

awsm125

The Purple Critic

Darkepyon

Zombyra

brickster409

ChaosSonic1

Leaf Ranger

SoulEmbrace2010

Oni Shin

Silverknight17

Specter637

HunterBerserkerWolf

shadow-red0

The Roaming Shadow

bucketbot

AvalonNakamura

Avacii

Maxwell Gray

Silvdra-zero

Arashi walker

Lord of Daemons

Lord Anime

CloudRed1988

forestscout

The Lost Mana

Red Warrior of Light

TUAOA MORRISTOFOX

Mr. Alaska

Swagnilla-Ice-1985

MugetsuIchigo

bloodlust002

Nerverean

Kage Biju

JK10

OBSERVER01

MistressWinowyll

Count Kulalu

ronin504

ted009

Ralmidaz

lederra

Lost my shoe in Sheol

ToyHaunter

Hiyami

PuckReathof

demonsinger

konomu-Imout

LOVEMANGA AND DRARRY

yuseiko-chan

Elvira-baba

Icecce

iampieman

Ultimabloodblade

Gintoki

kumar9900

DemonAngel of Ice

dragon-cloud16

Harute Haptism

the green ace of clubs

Assassin King of Masyaf

Flame-Fist-Ace

Lucifer's Remnants

Story Reader 97

kniznik

NARUHAREM FOREVA

NHunter

Angry Hamster

Kouken Tenshi

Yume Saint-Clair

Oo-chan

jojo(non inscrit)

gaia (pas inscrit)

Estelle Uzumaki

Melana76

onarluca

Xanara

odvie

archiemouse

Fenrir the vicious

taj14

c i am a dragon

God Emperor Of GAR-halla

Warrior of Olympus

Xxfreefallangelxx

BituMAN

shadowcub

acepro Evolution

ScorpinokXV

Hunter200007

kyo anime

Nysk

Killeraction49

Storylover213

arya19

irvanthedamned

Kiranos

KingKidBadAss

nimb09

Paladeus

Orange-Fuzz-Ball

Kakkyou no Yami

Burning Truth

DrunkManSquakin

cabel1972

dynomike88

Tolotos

Hansi Rahl

Rekmond

Farmer Kyle

You-Lack-BadAssery

Silverscale

Cloud75JC

GunnerRyuu

Kurogane7

Raja-Ulat

DragonMasterFlex

Saphire Quill

shadowzefover5

Highvalour

Rinoti

2ndsly

guardianmaster4

Godlykiller2

munesanzune

DarkghostX

w1p

Lord Arkan

Xahn777

T3Ko

Dragon Man 180

Alia-Jevs

Fayneir

Ookami Ousama

Asdfth12

Burning Lights

EternalBlizzardOfSwords66

eltigre221

Jarjaxle

HinaGuy749

Great Vampire-Shinso

Harute Haptism

Oxyxoon

high lord mage

FatalCrimsonScion

Starfire99

Doombreed

AdamantiumTP

NightInk

Wrathkal

Firedamaged

God Emperor of GAR-halla

xArtehx

Kapola Nuva

HunterAzrael

anime-death-angel

sabery

Bahamutzero94

Soul Painted Black

Infinite Freedome

Rodneysao

Shatsuka

jm1681

Ookami88

Akira Strider

empresskitsune

KitsuneGirl021

KagomeGirl021

Joey Blaq

Nex Caedes

Billy Buyo

lite spirit

CelticReaper

fullhouses

Felur

TitaniumWyvern

NeonZangetsu

LargerSnowdevil

I'm Yu

Define Incompetent

Caw-Raven

BackwardsHazard

lord Martiya

Umashido

pokemoncosmoking

sjghostwriter18

scout360pyro

taintedloki

MtSarx

kumar9900

TehIrishBrony

Uzumaki Crossover

Etsukazu no Kitsune

Ranger-kit

rts515

Soulblazer87

Kamigawa Nagamaki

F Archer

us4gi-ch4n

Shirabaka Tenji

Spear-of-the-doomed

Painsake

Ben1987

Spartan Ninja

dante5986

Victoriousvillian

Sage of Eyes

Boomerbambam

YosoNoAkuma

Megaman88

Angry Hamster

Warden of the Runes

Kiyoi

Silverstonedragon

Akane Mosoa

Cryofthewolf

Culebra del Sol

HouseMD93

Doc. K-9

dracon867

Moka Mcdowell

VGZ

Oirarana

Nightmares Around Winter

chuck17

Son Of A Wolf

Daniel Lynx

Sibjisibdi

sleepwhenyourdead1989

BackwardsHazard

Hunter200007

Zagger the Bloody Angel

Zen Rinnegan

Duochanfan

alice the noble

Zagger the Bloody Angel

BRD man

nano101

ShotgunWilly

EternalKnight219

deadak

Idiote

AkumaKami64

loki0191

konoha's Nightmare

zrodethwing

ursineus

KamenRiderNexus

neko-hikage-chan

Project Slepnir

Narora Senoku

spider79

ZloGlaZ

Erebus of the Banat

belnonm

Tristan Blackheart

Xefix

dbzsotrum9

Nanna00

kired-reader

Kingswriter

hollyshortfowl

ChaosRaptorEye

The Infamous Man

Vampchick2010

THE Dark Dragen

26-Lord-Pain

Vail Ryuketsu

darkmatter13

forbiddenfruitunloved

lostandthedamned

EmperialGem21

Chiyo Asakura

SnakeHead85

Zediir

OccultAura

ZeroZangetsu

will1by2

Taullinis

dregus

rst64lc

Leaf Ranger

SaiyanShinobi

Dez Guardius

The Fifth Rider of Armageddon

4master


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